


Guy Gardner #1 Green Lantern

by kiyarasabel



Series: Across the Universe [1]
Category: DCU (Comics), Green Lantern (Comics)
Genre: Accidental Knotting, Alcohol, Bad Sex, Breeding Kink, Group Sex, Other, Unplanned Pregnancy, Unsafe Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-11
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-03-01 05:23:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 49,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18793852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiyarasabel/pseuds/kiyarasabel
Summary: Guy is trying to grow up to be a Responsible Adult, he's trying really hard not to be That Asshole anymore. Really! He's trying! So hard!And then G'nort shows up with this pretty little item and Guy thinks, "What's the worst that could happen?"Amalgam of Old DCU and New Canon





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this while I was really sick and experiencing a little bit of a manic tear, slightly broken from reality. This is the first chapter but this is one of MyFics so fair warning that this becomes Yet Another Pregnancy fic in another couple chapters

The Green Lantern Corps wasn't exactly like a normal job, but still it seemed a pretty universal trend that everyone liked a chance to unwind after a day's shift. 

Technically an active lantern was never really off duty, but while being off an active shift, the Corps members tended to enjoy socializing at the W. Initially, Guy Gardner had set up the canteen in the likeness of the bar he'd run on Earth, but he'd since added more to it. Now even beings who did not enjoy intoxicants could entertain themselves as well. 

There was a sizeable library, many types of games, and several alcoves with different entertainment displays. The usuals even had their own cliques and traditions now. Guy was happy for once, satisfied that he'd met a need, had improved life and conditions for the usually too-serious organization. He'd been loosening up a lot himself, learning to temper his temper and recognize when he was being overly sensitive to perceived slights to his ego. He didn't feel like he had anything left to prove to anyone. 

He stopped in the process of drying a glass with a soft, “Huh.” He was no longer trying to prove anything to himself.

Certainly a lot of other people didn't and would never like him. Even if he was willing to bend his pride, many would never even listen to an apology, much less forgive him his many failings. It still bothered him, to think that to so many he would never amount to anyone of value, but he wasn't concerned with chasing them down to prove that he was the better man anymore. Especially when the gift of hindsight made him cringe to realize just how immature he'd been.

It wasn't all entirely his fault and he'd spent a long time in quiet moments trying to understand the difference. He was like a mirror which had been broken. Time after time, he was constantly trying to put himself back together but the reflection was never quite right. It was starting to get easier to accept the gaps, the distortions and learn to work around them. It was frustrating, regularly trying to relearn things that had once been second nature. 

A lot of his anger had been rooted there, torn between resentment and objecting to pity. He still wasn't sure he necessarily deserved sympathy, for all that he'd done and been through, but he wasn't letting that control his life anymore. The fact that it felt like his life was actually his own, and that it had taken him so long to get here, was something of a stressful situation itself. 

Certainly it was good that no one and nothing was controlling him without an ability to think things through, but the responsibility did weigh on him, made his head ache. It was a lot of hard work being able to learn to look after his own needs rather than expecting everyone else to cater to him. It was better not just because he felt more mature and stable, but that he could take care of himself in ways that other people wouldn't have been able to understand. He'd been so unreasonable in the past, expecting other people to essentially read his mind and predict his whims. It all seemed as obvious now that he'd thought it had been to them then.

In a lot of ways he missed the simplicity of being a school teacher, of time spent as a social worker where his focus was on helping other people to grow, to focus on building a compassionate system out of a maze of struggles. He'd had a difficult recovery, been a terrible patient. It was embarrassing to admit that he knew better than to try and brute force his way through the damages of traumatic brain injuries. It was difficult accepting and acknowledging his PTSD, the abuse he'd suffered as a child, the regular horrors of the battles he'd been through. On top of it all, he was trying to patch together a community of people who were all suffering the same.

He was sure that many of his peers would resent the outlook he had now, likening the superhero community to the classes of special needs children, certainly he wouldn't have appreciated if the comparison came from someone else, but he was starting to realize now that it was a mistake to understand anyone as being anything other than a grown child who required personalized care.

He'd taken counseling classes again while running his bar on Earth, but it had taken him years to actually start applying it to himself and his own life rather than just being a sympathetic ear at the bar. 

Still, it got lonely, he didn't really have anyone else to play that part for him. He was glad that he was learning to rely on himself but he still felt hollow, weary, like he could never really let himself go for fear he would go off the rails again. The bar was as much a coping mechanism for him as much as it was a social environment for others.

He didn't drink so much himself anymore. While a bartender was given leave to a few drinks at his own discretion, he'd always had to practice some level of restraint to do the work. In the past he'd often overindulged as soon as he'd closed shop. He didn't want to be the kind of alcoholic his father was, the thought terrified him more than anything, made him feel rotten whenever he'd let his shortcomings take control, but there were far too many nights when he'd turned to a bottle rather than facing the pain, when he drank until he blacked out rather than trying to actually sleep.

He wasn't sure now when the last time he'd actually been drunk was. He still drank regularly but only ever a drink or two at a time, usually to accompany a meal rather than being the meal. He was getting older. He couldn't ignore that, even if he wanted to, his body was more than willing to remind him of every old injury and the likely points where they'd fail some day. Working out helped, for all that it usually meant aggravating the pain, he knew that it kept his body functioning.

He had nightmares sometimes, still, about when he'd first regained consciousness after his coma, when his body had wasted away and left him so weak, the struggle it had been just to walk and talk or even wipe his own ass. He knew that in his line of work that it was something he would have to face happening again. Sometimes he hoped that a dangerous situation would kill him, that it would be quick, rather than having to suffer the pain of healing, of recovery.

Recovery was never really over, no one was ever actually really 100% capacity after taking damage, even magical healing didn't entirely eliminate the scar tissues of the body, keeping a permanent reminder etched into flesh and bone.

He realized that he was in a funk, was only dealing drinks and tending bar on autopilot. He hoped that no one had noticed, but also kind of hoped someone did. Was he really ready or willing to talk about these things with anyone? Certainly not in public, not behind the bar where everyone could see him. He turned towards the mirrored backdrop and kept his head down, taking measured breaths to reassure himself that no one was staring at him. 

He was having moments like this more often. If he'd still been on Earth he would probably start looking for a prescription for something, though he wasn't a pharmacologist or proper psychiatrist so he wasn't even really sure what kinds of meds he would even need to take. He'd never gotten far enough in his education to be the kind of person who could diagnose anyone. Even what treatments he knew were stopgaps meant to be applied with someone else ultimately acting as a sort of supervisor. None of his cases had ever been a process of him alone, every person had needed a community to make it through recovery.

And while he had the lantern corps, he had friends, he wasn't sure that he really felt like part of a community anymore, he was just a cog in a machine, he just worked a job. His job was reactive, not restorative, often it was even destructive and while he liked to push for preventative measures, lanterns as a whole tended to be independently minded. Getting everyone to commit to any significant change was a particularly slow and grueling process. He took a sip from his own drink, took a moment to catch his breath. 

It was too much, too stressful to be focusing on all of this, patently ridiculous in scope to be trying to organize a support system for the entirety of the corps. He certainly couldn't be the only social worker for thousands of cases at once, he wasn't even sure that his skills were still up to the task of having even a single dedicated case.

He didn't think that making the lanterns have to submit to further regulation would be beneficial, already it was more of a strength that so much was left up to the judgement and discretion of individual lanterns, but be knew that this kind of work needed an outlet. 

They were intergalactic first responders, and yet he wasn't sure that anyone else had ever even been to any kind of long term counseling. It was worrying the more he considered it, recalling just how aggressive, corrupt and brutal US police forces had been. 

While lanterns were typically people of a higher moral standard, they were none of them infallible, and looking at things in perspective, they really didn't have a very effective system of checks and balances to keep individuals from succumbing to the stress of the position. Especially himself included, to say nothing of the horrors of what happened with Hal and Parallax, or Sinestro.

He chewed an ice cube, bemused that he'd finished his drink, when usually he would nurse a glass all evening. He sighed, shook his head and ran his hands through his hair. He was still working, and while yes, as the boss he could excuse himself and take the night off, he knew that he was better off here interacting with other people rather than wallowing in self pity alone.

“Hey, G'nort, it's been awhile!” He called out, latching onto the old acquaintance to focus his attention elsewhere. 

The doglike man jumped when Guy called out his name, but pushed a slightly tentative smile onto his face, tail wagging hopefully. They had a long history, he couldn't blame G'nort for being trepidatious towards him, G'nort had seen him at both his worst and his best. He was perhaps second only to Killowog as a fellow non-Earth Lantern he actually got along with.

“Hey Guy.” G'nort barked, voice a little hoarse and raspy with nerves.

“So what'll it be?” Guy asked, spreading his arms to indicate the extensive selection. For all that he didn't want to be an alcoholic, he was still very proud of his collection, to have a taste for the many spirits the universe had to offer.

“Oh, I don't really know...” G'nort fidgeted uncomfortably but reached out almost hesitantly for a drink menu.

“Who's your friend?” He prompted, noticing that he seemed to have a companion. Guy always found it amusing how often people wore hooded cloaks, as if that would ever actually make someone less noticeable. Then, maybe it was more like a hooded sweatshirt, warm and comfortable, safe and reassuring.

The being looked up at him with surprise, he'd noticed tension and anxiety in the body language. They appeared to be the same species as G'nort but had a very different general appearance. Their fur was a soft grey, almost lilac in the light of the bar, swirled with darker natural markings. Guy found himself wondering about those, the way they were only just peeking out of the robe, wondering how the patterns would trace along their slender limbs. They pulled their hood back, ears flicking nervously but smiling. They extended a hand.

“I'm K'yara.” They dipped their head, ears. “I am...use shi/hir to refer to myself.”

“New to the language?”

Shi nodded. He found hir appearance captivating. Whereas G'nort had an uncanny resemblance to a schnauzer, hir features were captivating in a positive way, arresting Guy's attention as his eyes ran over the way hir distinctly inhuman features melded with a graceful beauty. 

Shi was distinctly more feminine than G'nort, but Guy wondered what that even meant, when shi very clearly was not a human woman. Still some of hir features were familiar, were definitely embodiments that interested his own predilections. Hir lips looked soft, even wrapped around sharp teeth, hir cheek rounded down to an attractively pointed jaw, even a cute little cleft chin. Hir ears twitched, they were larger than G'nort's, but seemed more flexible.

Guy blinked and leaned back. He shouldn't be ogling hir like that, not only was it unprofessional but shi had come in accompanying G'nort and was probably not interested in human men besides. He moved off to serve other patrons as they discussed the drink menu in their own language. The ring could translate, of course, but it'd be rude to do so.

He was glad to take their orders, and found it charming how the choices suited them. G'nort's was pretty simple, not something that Guy would prefer, his tastes having become somewhat refined as a bartender. K'yara, shi ordered something that was every bit as sweet and fruity as he would have expected, but also much harder, the kind of liquors that wouldn't be covered up by the sweetness. He almost asked if shi were sure about it because it was a very heavy drink, but catching hir eye, the hint of challenge glinting back, he knew that shi knew exactly what shi wanted.

The night wore on and the bar grew busier. It was always an interesting perspective behind the bar, watching as people's inhibitions relaxed, as they let loose and started to enjoy themselves, as they reveled and had fun. He tried not to focus overmuch on the newcomer, shi would have enough attention and company, the Corps didn't get too many civilian visitors so they were always treated to a high standard of hospitality.

Still, he couldn't help but notice hir, shi stood out in the crowd. Shi sang some songs at the karaoke machine, danced with many or by hirself, he even caught what he was pretty sure was a kiss exchanged with a woman. It wasn't often that he wanted to join the crowd, he usually felt clumsy and awkward, people didn't really like him, tried to avoid him. 

He wouldn't be able to enjoy himself the way shi was. It wasn't that shi was even skilled at any of her pursuits, shi flailed aimlessly, hir voice was harsh, erratic and cracked easily. He didn't notice her winning a single game shi played but she was smiling nonetheless and kept moving. It was admirable. That he could also admire that shi had taken off her cloak to reveal more of the swirling markings of hir fur also made it harder for him to look away.

He tried to keep himself focused on his work but he felt himself getting impatient, waiting for the day to end, perhaps becoming more snappish and terse. He usually didn't get distracted by something like this, but then again it had been a long time since he was in a position where he could even imagine being occupied with anyone else. He'd mourned Tora for so long and then when she'd finally come back, she was still out of his reach. They were better off really, it'd given him time to cool off and take care of his own bullshit. But that was the issue, he was tired of having to take care of his bullshit all alone.

But he needed to stop fixating on this particular new distraction, shi was here with G'nort and it would be a phenomenally dickish move to hit on hir. Especially because it was exactly the sort of selfish behavior that had gotten him into trouble so many times. He wanted to maintain his friendship with G'nort. Sure the putz was obnoxious, but Guy didn't really have enough people to count on who even tolerated him, he couldn't risk alienating one of the very few who beings who was actually friendly with him.

His mind lingered on the fact that he had seen hir being pretty affectionate to other people the whole night through, but that didn't necessarily mean that shi was available either, and especially no guarantee that shi would even be receptive if he were to make advances. He was annoyed with himself for still thinking about it, more so with his body for responding. He might have been able to ignore it if it was a purely physical response and attraction, he'd had a few casual encounters in his time, but there was just something about how shi was drawing him in that he felt like he needed something more.

A part of him had been resigned, maybe even hoping that shi and G'nort would leave earlier in the evening but as the last patrons were filtering out, shi was still at the bar. Though shi had bid many farewells, shi didn't seem to be heading out. Guy was torn, wanting to make a move but knowing that he shouldn't. He couldn't just ignore the way that shi still seemed to be pretty close to G'nort. A part of him was trying to rationalize that their intimacy wasn't anything more than their shared background, but they seemed more comfortable than one would even be to a family member.

It was rapidly becoming impossible to ignore that they were still there while everyone else was leaving, Guy could only stack chairs on tables and sweep the floor for so long. For once he was almost annoyed that the Lanterns were such conscientious patrons, having neatly put back any games or equipment, there weren't many spills or discarded rubbish left behind.

“So as the saying goes, you don't have to go home but you can't stay here, I'm closing up.” He prodded, leaning against the handle of his broom.

G'nort looked incredibly uncomfortable but K'yara seemed to be on the verge of erupting into giggles, grinning widely and almost vibrating with excitement. “Come with us.” Shi burst, a little hiccup following hir words.

He considered the request, he wasn't sure exactly what G'nort was feeling about the invitation, but he seemed nervous. K'yara had none of that anxiety left over from when shi had arrived. Guy tried to remember how many drinks shi had, if shi was well and truly plastered or just tipsy. He looked at G'nort again who seemed almost painfully sober.

“You work hard, have drinks with us.” K'yara invited again. G'nort gave him a hopeful look and Guy still couldn't tell if G'nort wanted him to accept or decline the offer.

“Let me finish closing up.” He evaded, heading to the supply closet to stow the broom. He noticed the basket of free condoms he left out needed to be refilled and tried very hard not to think about it while refilling it. A part of him considered grabbing a few for himself just in case, but he tamped down the urge. He wasn't going anywhere, no one was going upstairs with him and he wasn't about to just grab a handful and stuff them in his pocket while the others watched. He hoped that they didn't notice his flush, he could feel his ears burning with shame over his thoughts.

He generally preferred to put on actual, real, comfortable clothes while working the bar rather than just using constructs from the ring, but even still, his well worn jeans were feeling a little extra tight. The G'newtians continued to linger, hovering just far enough to leave acceptable personal space while Guy locked up. He really should have just said goodbye and gone to his upstairs loft.

He wasn't even entirely aware of what he said as he fell into step beside them. K'yara babbled, slipping in and out of hir natal tongue, and though his ring translated hir words, much of it was not actually sensible. She wasn't quite stumbling but ambling with a distinctly inebriated swagger, occasionally shi would catch hold of his arm, not quite actually falling off balance when shi swayed into him, and hir touch tended to linger for a touch too much to be an accident. Shi was also definitely swaying towards him far more often than shi was towards G'nort, who continued to look uncomfortable.

Guy told himself that he was only going to escort them to G'nort's apartment and then leave. He continued to tell himself this as he got progressively more comfortable with them. They had a few more drinks, they were amicably showing him a piece of media from their home planet that seemed to be some kind of tragic romcom. G'nort seemed to have relaxed, leaning back on his side of the couch. 

Guy hadn't quite noticed exactly when shi had started scooting from hir place in the middle of the couch towards him, but it became really quite impossible to ignore when shi was occupying his lap. The movie was forgotten and Guy had to close his eyes and bite back a groan as shi wiggled with hir excited giggling. The movie was funny in a slapstick sort of way, it was the climax of the film, but all he could wonder was if shi could have possibly been unaware of what shi was doing to him.

He blew out a long shuddering sigh and opened his eyes. Shi tilted hir head towards him and he could see a crinkle of amusement curling around hir eye. So that definitely answered the question that she absolutely knew exactly what shi was doing to him.

“Fuck.” He muttered.

“Yes please.” Shi purred.

He wanted to do nothing else but he wasn't so drunk to lose control of his principles. “You're drunk.” He stated, biting his lip as shi shifted hir position.

“Not so drunk... I haven't been drinking intoxicants since before we left. I am reasonably sober right now, and I wanted this all night long before I started drinking.” Shi whispered, moving hir face closer to his as shi spoke. He was kissing hir before he remembered all of the reasons he shouldn't.

He closed his eyes to catch his breath again after shi gave him some space, wiggling hir hips to sit lower down his thighs, perched more on his knees than his pelvis. He wanted so very badly to touch hir, but reminded himself that they weren't alone. Reluctantly, he looked towards G'nort. He wasn't sure what he was expecting or wanted to see, but the reality that faced him was that G'nort was watching the both of them with undisguised interest, mouth slightly open, tongue just behind his lips and and panting lightly. G'nort's hands were on the couch, but his pants were tenting unmistakably.

Guy closed his eyes again and tried to think. Had he been invited back to the apartment for group sex? Did he want to participate in group sex with G'nort? Could he? Would he be able to work with the doglike man after? Could they still be friends after that? He looked back at K'yara and considered why hir face seemed appealing when G'nort made him uncomfortable.

“What...” Guy swallowed and licked his lips, throat feeling dry and tight. “What are we doing?”

“Me?” K'yara squeaked hopefully.

Guy couldn't help it, he laughed, shi was adorable. “I got that part of the message loud and clear, but, uh...” He glanced at G'nort who was wringing his hands nervously again.

Shi looked thoughtful, considering how to explain. “I like... You. Big, orange.” Shi gestured to Guy like shi was introducing a prized work of art. It made something warm flutter in his belly, to say nothing of the impact shi was having on lower parts of him. He wasn't sure how he felt about being called orange, but understood that shi had meant it as a compliment.

“Right.” He breathed, nodding and not able to look away from the way shi was poised.

“G'nort is... Good friend, fun.... Fun is more fun with more friends?”

“Yeah there's a saying that the more the merrier but, uh... I haven't exactly done this before.” He gestured between all of them. “I don't really know what you're expecting or want me to do.”

“It's up to you, but I would really like to be on your lap without clothes between us.” Shi licked hir lips.

“G'nort, what are you getting out of this?” Guy couldn't look at him, but he needed to know where his friend was planning to fit in.

“Uh, I really didn't think that we'd make it this far.... You... You're.... Well I always admired you, you're strong and you never let what other people think bother you.”

Guy was a little surprised but he couldn't lie that he didn't love hearing that someone admired him. “Well, G'nort, I'm flattered but... I'm afraid you aren't really my type.”

G'nort made a wheezing whine as he sighed. “No, it's not like that, just... I... You look good but I don't really want you to do anything with me, I just... I want to watch...”

Guy had never particularly considered exhibitionism as a kink, he tended to be more interested in pretty vanilla lovemaking than kinky fucking, but there was definitely part of him that was really liking the idea of showing off for an adoring audience.

“Okay. I think that I can handle that.” Guy relaxed back into the couch, the movie was rolling credits.

K'yara grinned and moved closer. Shi kissed and licked at his lips playfully at first, making him chase after hir as shi pressed hir body against his. Guy raised his hands slowly, resting them first on the outside of hir knees, slowly working them up hir thighs, trying not to grip too firmly when he started to wrap his fingers over hir hips, but was starting to lose his mind grinding up against hir. 

Hir fingers slipped up under his shirt and he let go in order to whip it off his head, grinning as shi shamelessly ogled his chest, running hir hands up his abs and over his pecs. The rough skin of hir palms and the barest scrape of hir blunt claws left him tingling, the slight tickle of hir fur sending shivers down his spine. He moaned when shi started to flick and pinch at his nipples. Hir mouth moved to his neck and he suddenly understood the appeal of vampire movies as hir sharp teeth teased his sensitive skin.

His hands were on hir waist now and it was a struggle to truly appreciate the texture of hir fur with so many distractions. It was little more than peach fuzz on hir face, though shi had whiskers that tickled his face and a soft ruff framed hir jaw. He made a noise of surprise when in the middle of his thumbs’ exploration of hir soft belly he discovered a set of small pebbled skin that he realized meant shi had mammaries. He'd simply assumed shi wasn't busty but now he had to reevaluate his assessment. Shi looked amused at his fascination. He grunted when shi leaned back suddenly to strip off the long tunic covering hir torso.

He felt stunned all over again to realize that shi was bustier than he thought, as shi unstrapped a breastband which had held a very human like pair of breasts close to hir chest and he observed a third set of teats lower on hir ribs. The top ones were largest and he was definitely about to lose his face in those but he had to admire the combination following the smooth contours of hir belly. If he hadn't been looking for them, they were just a part of a deceptively rounded body.

Hir fur was soft and smooth, coarser than a cat or a rabbit and springier than most dogs’. Especially on hir chest where the fur was so much shorter he couldn't get enough of the fuzzy texture on his face. Shi humored his fascination patiently, but started to roll hir hips more insistently.

He came up for air and tried not to whimper when shi pulled away. Shi shimmied hir tight capri-style leggings down hir hips and he forgot everything else for a moment, eyes finally tracing over the uninterrupted lines of hir markings, he noticed that they formed a pattern of doubled chevrons along hir flanks, but almost as quickly he forgot about them as shi settled onto hir knees in front of him, looking up at him expectantly, head resting on his lap meaningfully.

He exhaled as he unzipped his fly, watching hir lick hir lips again, hir eyes riveted on his crotch especially as it revealed the trail of ginger hairs leading down. It was a relief to finally free himself from the denim, but he almost felt self conscious, unused to being observed with such rapt attention. Shi rocked back onto hir feet to give him room to shuck his jeans. 

Shi moved back in more hesitantly, keeping low, but hir fur was bristling with excitement. Shi set hir hands on his knees and he admired the way hir long neck let hir drop hir head between his thighs as hir chest barely brushed his legs. She took a long deliberate sniff then followed her nose deeper, with smaller sniffles. He whined as shi started to taste and nibble at his skin, laving hir tongue along the crease between his thighs and hip. It was rougher than a human tongue but not rough enough to be unpleasant. Shi looked up at him mischievously and he could hardly believe shi could manage to look so alluring while tucking hir nose under his balls.

He swore and his hips jumped up reflexively as shi licked again, this time covering nearly the entirety of his taint with one swipe of hir long tongue. Shi was teasing him, very slowly and deliberately exploring the shape of him, kissing and licking along the edges of his turgid length. When shi finally started to mouth at him he found himself glad for hir restraint, realizing once again just how sharp hir teeth were.

When his dick was jumping with each beat of his heart, shi finally pulled away and then moved back up his lap. A true gentleman would reciprocate the favor but shi was smothering him with hir chest again and he could only rock his body slowly as shi started guiding his length into hir heat. Shi was making the happiest little noises as shi settled into his lap, mouthing at his neck again, hands roaming his body, clenching periodically or shuddering with pleasure. Shi moved slowly and gradually, the sweetest torture was resisting the urge to set his own pace, letting hir determine what was comfortable to hir.

Shi started to work up a rhythm to riding his lap gradually and he tried to help be where shi needed him, getting breathless. Shi was very vocal, getting louder with each breath and bounce. He could feel the tension building in himself, trying not to get carried away in chasing his own pleasure as he held onto hir hips and thrust up into hir. He was getting close and he was really looking forward to the relief, it had been so very long since he'd shared a sexual experience with another person. 

He could feel it as shi reached hir climax, hir whole body shuddering and clenching around him, but shi seemed to have lost hir pace, hir weight melting against him as shi gasped for breath. He was so close it was tempting to push through but shi seemed to need a moment to catch hir breath. He counted slowly backwards from ten in his head and tried to get his own breathing under control.

“Sorry,” Shi mumbled sleepily. “My legs are sore.”

“That's okay.” He said, already trying to figure out how he was going to continue from here. “Just tell me what you need.”

“I want to keep doing, I'm just too weak, don't have the muscles for this.” Shi sounded genuinely regretful.

“There's nothing wrong with that, sweetheart, I have enough muscles for the both of us, just tell me what you want.”

Shi hummed thoughtfully. “I think I need to lay down, I can't hold myself up.”

“Okay then.” He wrapped his arms around hir, holding hir close as he considered their surroundings. He was further gone than he realized when he jumped slightly to notice that G'nort was still on the other side of the couch, his dick out in the open. Guy looked away, he didn't really want to think too hard about that. He braced one hand on the arm of the couch and got to his feet, still holding hir body to his with the other arm. He could feel how impressed shi was by this minor feat of strength.

“You think that's something, I got so much more to show you.” He wasn't sure what just yet, but he knew that he wasn't going to be able to limit himself to this one encounter with hir. 

He laid hir along the back of the couch and carefully adjusted his footing as shi moved to feel more secure on hir perch. “Are you ready for this?” He smiled softly, running a hand over hir belly, hip and then brushed his thumb over where their bodies were still joined. Hir whole body twitched. He waited for hir to respond. Shi tightened hir legs around him, squeezing his body. He grinned, moving his hands up hir thighs and back down to cup hir ass.

“You want more, babe?”

“Yes, yes, please, give, give me everything.” Shi begged.

“Fuck.” He breathed, wanting to do exactly what shi was asking for but knowing that he was going to need to work their way up to that. He adjusted hir balance and his stance again, feeling invincible. He snapped his hips forward once and shuddered at hir response. “Yeah, like that?” He panted, talking to keep himself from losing focus.

Shi whined, nudging him on with hir heels. He laughed and leaned over hir, it was maddening in the best way to see how desperately eager shi was for anything and everything he had to give. He kissed hir again, cupping hir face with one hand as the other took a firm hold of hir hip. He didn't want to lose himself to this, he wanted to savor each moment. 

He gave hir a variety of little experimental thrusts, testing which angles shi preferred, what would be easiest for him to maintain. He was careful not to give too much or too fast all at once, avoiding setting any kind of predictable rhythm, keeping hir on edge. He was starting to feel his own control fraying from the teasing, starting to get a feel for long strokes followed by a sharp snap of his hips. One of his hands had settled low on hir belly and it was driving him crazy that he could feel himself moving through hir.

He felt like he was coming up on the finish line of a marathon, like he was about to win a prize, feeling it as shi began to climax around him again, soon, soon would be his turn and he was so tired of denying himself. But he had to slow down, could tell shi needed a moment to calm down before he fucked hir to hir next orgasm, when hopefully he could finally let himself go.

“Um... I... Can I?” G'nort began.

Guy felt himself growl defensively. He'd forgotten that G'nort was there again.

K'yara limply turned hir head to him and looked him over. “Yeah I think I know how we can make this work.” Shi smiled up at Guy. “Let me down for a second?” Reluctantly, he drew away as shi got to hir feet, legs shaking like a fawn taking its first steps. Shi turned hir back to him, but leaned back to kiss him on the cheek. He chased her lips to catch a proper kiss. Shi indulged him a few moments longer.

“I think that if I just lean over the couch, Guy, you can keep up the good work and I can give G'nort a hand at the same time.” Shi lay down over the arm of the couch, pushing hir rear up into the air. Guy wasn't sure that he really liked the idea of sharing hir attention and affections, but he liked the idea of keeping all the attention on him anyway, shi had trouble focusing on anything else the other times he'd made hir come so far. There was something about the idea that G'nort was getting the worse end of the deal, that shi was definitely giving hir best to Guy and treating G'nort as an afterthought which really fed his ego, even if he knew it was a jerk thing to think about the situation.

He took some time admiring hir rump, seeing the patterns of hir stripes from a new perspective, appreciating just how round and full hir ass was, parting hir cheeks low enough to see the glistening heat he was eager to return to. He had been very gentle so far, and he wasn't about to start treating hir roughly but it was hard to resist the urge to plunge right back inside hir, get hir screaming hir head off right from the outset. He squeezed hir hip and took a hold on hir tail in his other hand as he started rubbing his tip against hir slickness, taking such satisfaction over how wet shi still was, and started sinking into hir again, trying not to give hir the pounding shi'd been begging for earlier, but definitely keeping hir too occupied with his actions for hir to focus on anything else. 

Shi felt so good, was so responsive, slamming hir hips back to meet each snap of his, matching his every thrust with growing intensity. Guy was finally starting to ease back into the pace that would take them both to climax when shi suddenly froze, stiffening. He stopped immediately, alarmed, concerned he'd hurt hir.

“I'm so sorry.” G'nort whimpered unevenly.

Guy drew out slowly and tried to parse the situation, recognizing that something had gone wrong on their end. K'yara made a pained choking noise that sounded like a weak growl. G'nort didn't look like he was enjoying himself either. 

At first Guy wondered when they'd incorporated a ball gag before he realized that he was looking at G'nort's dick, and a lot more closely than he would have liked. He tried not to recoil too obviously.

Obviously, they needed help. G'nort had apparently come unexpectedly into K'yara's mouth and had gotten locked there when his knot swelled. From the looks of things hir narrow jaw and sharp teeth were making it excruciatingly agonizing to G'nort, despite that his body was still climaxing. K'yara looked still more miserable, jaw locked open, cum flowing like drool, mixed into the tears and snot of the rest of hir face.

Guy closed his eyes and fought to suppress his anger. This was an accident, it was nobody's fault and it wouldn't be helpful to cause any more pain. He sighed and got to his feet, remembering how they solved this kind of conundrum when the stray dogs in the city got locked together.

G'nort did seem like he'd started to recover when Guy returned and dumped a pitcher of cold water over where the two canid humanoids were trapped. G'nort yelped but managed to pull free. K'yara immediately started coughing, and then vomited when the spasming of hir lungs continued. Shi swatted away any hands offered to hir as shi doubled over on the floor gasping for breath.

“What do you need?” Guy asked, hovering and feeling useless.

In a hoarse and broken voice, shi managed to bark out the words, “Water!” And “Towel!”

Guy returned as quickly as he could with a dishtowel and a glass of water he set on the coffee table. K'yara grabbed the towel first, rubbing hir face clear of the assorted slimes. Guy pulled his jeans back on while shi struggled to sit up and then helped hir hold the glass as shi took tiny sips between coughs, sobs and retching.

He wanted to pat hir back, smooth down the fur along hir spine that was standing on end, but shi wasn't ready to be touched yet.

“You should probably go home.” Shi finally managed, the glass half empty, equal amounts spilled as swallowed and some of that vomited up again.

“You're sure you're okay?” He asked worriedly.

“Yeah. Nothing permanent. Need a shower, sleep.”

“If you're sure.” He reached for his shirt.

Shi watched sadly as he re-covered his torso. “Yeah I'm sure, walk me to the bathroom though?” Shi had to stop twice on the short trip down the hallway to wait out more coughing fits, aggravated by the exertion. He trusted that shi had everything under control but he waited outside the door and listened as shi started the water.

G'nort was sulking around the living room trying to clean up the mess. Guy sighed, put his hands on his hips, and then went to join him.

“I really am sorry I didn't mean...” The alien whimpered.

“Trust me G'nort, I believe you, you're just lucky shi didn't bite your dick off entirely.” He allowed, knowing that he sounded terse as he helped work cleaning agents into the carpet to pull the bodily fluids out.

“I don't know what I can do to make up for what happened.” G'nort whined, glancing towards the bathroom uncertainly.

“You can't. Just let hir have some distance and take the initiative. I don't know if things will ever be the same for you two, but I don't think that shi blames you for what happened.” Guy patted him on the shoulder awkwardly and then felt bad when he realized that he'd just smeared the other with a dirtied glove.

They both looked up when K'yara exited the bathroom but shi headed directly to the guest bedroom without so much as looking towards them and threw the lock as soon as shi closed the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guy finally gets off and gets clued into some things he'd rather not consider

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said that Ibas going to wait until I got feedback but I lied, I'm uploading the next chapter because I'm desperate. I'm working on the last two chapters and looking forward to starting the next installments of the series.
> 
> I don't know if I will find an audience for this fic, but I can choose to believe they'll find it eventually.

Guy tried not to feel disheartened on the walk home. He couldn't be mad at or blame G'nort for what happened, not with knowing that on top of everything else G'nort was going to have to go to the medcenter to treat the bite wounds on his dick. If Guy were still a little more sadistic he would have tried rubbing it in, make G'nort feel even more terrible, as if that would somehow make him feel any better about his own frustration. 

It wasn't just the matter of a denied physical response. He didn't even think that he would have the heart to bring himself off when he got home, it would leave him too disappointed and dissatisfied. After all that, it was just his luck. The first opportunity he'd had in so long to enjoy another's company had naturally ended in disaster. 

He knew he was still being selfish, he should be more worried about what K'yara had been through. Even G'nort had come out of the situation worse off than Guy. He hadn't really been denied, he'd just simply missed his opportunity while he had it. Maybe if he'd just focused on getting off rather than showing off they wouldn't have ended up in that mess anyway.

He stripped his clothes off and threw himself on his bed. If there was an upside, he'd certainly exerted himself enough he would probably be able to sleep without too much trouble.

~

He didn't feel particularly well rested when his alarm went off the next morning, catching himself grinding an erection into the mattress. He sighed. Now that he was awake, the sensation did nothing for him but feel a little abrasive. He groaned and dragged himself into the shower.

It was a slow day of work and Guy was wondering why he was feeling like an intergalactic threat would be preferable to the tedium of catching up on busywork. He understood that everything needed constant upkeep, but it just felt far too much like nothing he was doing that day mattered.

He still felt glum while setting up the bar for the evening, it was still too early before anyone would be showing up, probably out running errands or readying their dinners. He didn't think that he wanted another night where everyone but him was partying but the boredom of having to face a nearly empty bar didn't seem appealing either. Hoping for a perfect mix between was silly because the universe had proved to like making him suffer.

He was startled when a soft knock at the door pulled him out of his thoughts. It was still an hour or two before opening. He went to see who it was.

“K'yara?! I mean, hi, how are you doing, do you want to come in?” He was smiling too much. Did it look forced? Did shi think that he was happy because she looked miserable? Shi looked even smaller and more nervous from when he'd first seen hir. He stood back to let hir in as soon as shi had nodded.

“So... I hope you're feeling better, I'm happy to see you...” Guy babbled helplessly.

Shi paused, cocked hir head thoughtfully. Shi half turned to look at him with a particularly wretched expression. Hir sad eyes practically tore his heart out, but then shi smiled and he felt like he was melting.

Shi shuffled, nibbled at hir lips, hands moving uncertainly like shi wanted to say something. He took a step and a half closer, hir voice was probably hoarse, she was probably forced to whisper. “I'm sorry.” Shi said, voice even smaller and more pained than he'd been expecting.

“Hey, darling, there's nothing for you to be sorry about.” He put a hand on hir shoulder hesitantly and then shi wrapped hir arms around him and pressed hir face to his chest. He held hir for a few moments before he started to stroke hir mane, soothing the hairs which kept prickling as shi held him, breathing steadily.

“I like you.” Shi said finally. “I still want... You... If you still want me?”

 _Oh shit._ Was his first thought, stunned that shi could possibly still want anything to do with him after what happened, but obviously it was clear that shi was worried about the same thing. “Yeah. Yeah, I do. I like you too.” He was trying to keep track of what was happening because he still didn't quite believe it, that it could be so easy.

Shi started to caress his body, especially enamoured with the lines of his muscles and he loved the attention. How shi was groping him without hesitation, was making it clear that shi was ready, still wanting. He knew that he shouldn't and couldn't take all the credit for hir desire, but still it felt significant. Hell it was something to be proud of, dick game so strong shi couldn't stay away. What did it matter to take credit for that? If only in his head, where no one could judge him for that.

Hir hands were up his shirt again and they were kissing themselves senseless, now leaning into the bar. “We shouldn't do this here, anyone could walk by and see us.” Guy grumbled, reluctant to break apart.

Shi smiled up at him in a way that suggested that didn't bother hir, and for a single insane moment he was absolutely prepared to bend her over the bar and fuck hir where everyone could see. He was not going to be able to make it up the stairs, already he was having trouble staying focused on anything other than his desire to tear their clothes off.

Fucking in a broom closet was certainly not very gentlemanly of him, but his shirt was already in the mop bucket, she was leaving marks on his chest with hir mouth and his pants were around his knees. Shi was stroking him to fullness and had dropped hir cloak to reveal that shi'd worn nothing else below. He pulled hir to him, feeling his dick against the fur of hir belly, clutched at hir ass as shi bit his neck. He hauled hir up off the ground and shi wrapped hir legs around him with no further urging. He held her up with one hand under hir ass and the other simply cupped the side of hir face. He wanted to be able to watch hir face as they came together again.

He nudged hir heat carefully, pushing in only as far as hir slickness provided, working it down his shaft as he gradually plunged deeper. Hir eyes were half closed as hir mouth went slack, a deep moan escaping hir as he started to speed his pace. He usually liked to take his time, carefully assuring that he was doing his best by his lover.

“Baby, I'm not going to be able to go very long right now.” He groaned.

“I want it hard and fast, I want you to give me everything you've got.” Shi dared.

He growled at the sound of challenge in hir voice but soon shi was just loudly vocalizing in broken cries, the hoarse element making hir sound all the more desperate. He was moaning louder than usual himself. Usually he never dared to make use of someone else's body so selfishly, but as he fucked hir through hir first orgasm, he let himself get lost in the pursuit of his own needs. He shouted when he came, whole body shaking as he held hir tight. It seemed impossible but it was amazing feeling hir climax coinciding with his own, hir body milking each twitch of his. He let himself slide down the wall, keeping hir in his lap until he softened enough to slip free, both of them shivering at the loss.

Shi looked him in the eye with an incredibly satisfied look on hir face before yawning loudly. 

He laughed and kissed hir nose. “How about I go tuck you into bed.”

Hir eyes widened, pupils fat. “Really?”

“I wouldn't offer if I didn't mean it.” He was going to spoil hir rotten, he decided. He got the feeling that no one else ever had. He was reluctant to get back on his feet, to tuck himself away and zip up his pants. He looked down and caught hir running hir fingers over hir wet pussy then slip them into hir mouth to suck clean. 

Shi was going to be the death of him. He was already making plans, was considering closing the bar for the night and see how far they could push themselves before succumbing to exhaustion. He helped wrap hir up in hir cloak again and then picked her up in his arms to carry upstairs.

He was planning to keep kissing hir the whole way, but the moment he stepped out into the light he realized that they were not alone. Killowog sat at the bar and took a drink of a large stein of beer, half drained. Clearly he had been waiting a while and had absolutely overhead the sound of their fucking. Guy wondered how long they could have possibly been in there.

Killowog said nothing. Obviously he was here for something important or he would have come back later. Guy sighed, this was probably work and probably the kind of work that had to be off the record. Killowog wouldn't appreciate being left to wait longer.

“Lemme just go upstairs and get a clean shirt.” Guy begged off, heading to the stairs and trying not to look like he was hurrying or dallying.

He followed through on tucking K'yara into his bed with a kiss to the forehead. “You just make yourself at home up here.” He reassured before putting a shirt on and hurrying downstairs, trying in vain not to look rushed.

“All right so what's up?” He asked, letting the annoyance dominate his tone as he put his hands on his hips.

Killowog took another drink of his beer before looking Guy over. It felt strangely like he was a teenager about to get scolded for some hickeys, which he definitely had and Killowog could clearly see.

“We had a security breech.”

“What happened?”

“That's the question really. All we know is that someone was where they weren't supposed to be without leaving a proper record. Nothing is broken or missing, but there was an unauthorized database access point which scrubbed itself clean in the exact manner of someone covering their tracks. Whoever this person is, they're a dangerous professional.”

“You're sure it's not just a glitch?”

“I'm sure.”

“Huh.” Guy wondered why someone would want to look something up in the database without being logged, it wasn't like they kept anything particularly dangerous in the records, files on prisoners, sentences, trials; the context and history of various Oan laws. Boring shit, anything classified was done like this, strictly one Lantern to another, on a need-to-know basis until the case was resolved, and only then was it recorded in the database.

“So why should we care, as long as nothing's amiss?”

“Because we need to know why and we need to know who. It would be strange but not unheard of that another Lantern was looking for something and didn't want anyone to know about it, it could be completely innocuous. I might just put out a notice asking for the culprit to turn themselves in and explain themselves if it's nothing serious. But this is the hub of the universe now so I'm worried that it wasn't one of us.” He stared at Guy meaningfully.

Guy blinked, was Killowog accusing him of something? “Oh, what, K'yara? No, she's just some civilian whose old jalopy of a ship broke down so G'nort gave hir a tow here until shi can get it sorted out. And I mean, when did this even happen? I think that you might have noticed that we were pretty busy earlier and I can vouch for where shi's been pretty much since shi got here.” 

The thought that shi might be some kind of spy seemed absurd to him, no self respecting spy would draw so much attention to themselves for one thing, and for another, there was still no clear benefit that came from going through what might as well be a public database. It generally required a ring to use, but that was only because that was how the system had been built. There was nothing there of value to a being so poor shi couldn't even afford to repair the ship shi lived in. 

Shi had been lucky G'nort had been in the area to detect hir distress signal because hir environmental controls had start failing, shi could have died. The idea that someone would risk their life for something with no practical applications was absurd. If it had been something to do with credits, or if shi had shown a competence with electronics beyond the bare minimum basics, he'd have reason to suspect her motive, but all shi'd shown so far was just being a lonely lost person who had to rely on the compassion of others to survive. Guy didn't think that he was being irrational wanting to defend someone so vulnerable from a universe so cruel. The mere idea of Killowog questioning hir would probably make hir cry.

Killowog took another sip of his drink, draining it this time. “I'm just saying keep your eyes open and don't let your soft spot for a dame put you off your game.” Killowog clapped him on the shoulder with a serious expression and left.

Guy was in a sour mood now, considered again that he might leave the bar closed for the night. He went upstairs to see how K'yara was doing but shi was fast asleep. He was tempted to join hir, but he knew that it was better if he kept himself occupied with work. 

He didn't need to be neurotic about this. He didn't need to worry that shi was gonna disappear as soon as he turned around. He did wonder how long should would be staying. He didn't want to hope or be demanding or possessive, acting crazy over someone he barely knew just because they'd had sex a few times.

He managed to get through the first half of the evening relatively easily. It was busy enough to keep him occupied but it wasn't a day of the week where anyone had anything planned, most of the inhabitants would be working the next day. 

He felt like someone had hit him in the head when he saw hir walking down the stairs in back. Hir threadbare cloak was pulled around hir tightly, as much as a security object as any effective concealment. He wanted to run across the room and sweep hir off hir feet. He wanted to carry hir upstairs and ravish hir the whole night long. He blinked and tried to think logically. 

For one thing, it would be rude to shove through everyone and for another he felt like he would make a fool of himself. He could just picture it, like a scene from the comedy they'd watched together, tripping and falling, hitting a rollerskate, windmilling, inadvertently starting a fight and a fire at once, spraying a fire extinguisher right in his face. 

More practically, shi was already heading his way. It would be easier for hir to find hir way to the bar than either of them trying to find each other in the middle of the crowd. He wanted to kick the dumb part of himself that insisted it would be romantic, that this was the kind of case where he'd always find hir. Entirely absurd, he must have been reading too many paperback novels lately. Most of the books people left behind in the bar's modest library were the trashiest pulp adventures and bodice ripping romance novels. He eagerly devoured both genres without qualms.

When shi reached the counter he couldn't help himself, leaning over and simply picking hir up over the counter, feeling his cheeks ache with the strength of the grin on his face. “What do you need?” He asked, setting hir on hir feet and trying not to get distracted as he remembered that shi was wearing nothing underneath hir very thin robe. He suddenly felt a lot less grateful for the crowd.

“I was hungry.” Shi said quietly, ears lying back in discomfort.

“Oh, well that's easy enough to fix, let's get to the kitchen.” He left his notice with one of the other bartenders that he was checking out for the night. 

He liked where he was at in life, protecting the universe during the day, running a small business which supported community involvement in the evenings. Of course business was a particular concept here that wasn't quite the same as the outside world. 

Credits were exchanged more as a common courtesy, like a tip more than a price. Everyone on Mogo more or less earned about an equal amount across all levels of their system. As the Oan Star System became more open after the guardians stepped down, they had needed to start setting up a system for trade between the inhabitants.

Some were like K'yara, inadvertent refugees taken back to Mogo with nowhere else in particular to be. Otherwise there was a regular flow of intergalactic travelers, sometimes sightseers, tourists interested in the sights and history. Most often it was freighter captains and merchants on their way through to more developed planets. 

While the guardians had ruled they'd kept their sector of space ruthlessly secure, and the rest of the universe knew to stay clear. Especially because of its location quite literally in the center of the universe that era had been very inconvenient for those trying to get from one side to the other. 

Many still tended to avoid Mogo itself, which still required approval of a Lantern to land planetside, but their sector of space had grown far busier, needing to route hyperspace lanes to direct the flow of traffic. Some rookie Lanterns loathed traffic duty but with more and more beings passing through, it was necessary to increase checkpoints so that accidents and disputes could be resolved more quickly.

But the Lanterns just weren't enough by themselves, which is why they were employing more civilians now. Doctors, craftspeople and the regular flow of their families. It was a colorful mix of peoples who occupied Mogo. In the literal middle of nowhere, and everywhere. Having been for so long closed off and isolated, every desirable or affluent galactic real estate had been formed well away from them. People came here because they had nowhere else to go, and so out of luck, were willing to risk everything they had left to try something new, somewhere new.

Guy was really glad to be a part of it, it reminded him of the myth of America his General Glory comics had believed in, where everyone came together from all different places to build something new. He considered that as K'yara got a bread bowl and he picked out a sandwich. They ate mostly in silence, sitting in a booth at the back of the restaurant adjoining the bar. It was later than most of the families would be out and hadn't quite reached the late night rush where everyone who had been drinking decided they were hungry.

“So what do you think of Mogo?” He asked. He realized that they hadn't actually spoken about much yet and that was unusual for him. It was rare for him to feel that sort of love at first sight that the novels spoke of. He usually had to get to know people for awhile before he actually had the courage to approach them.

Shi shrugged, fidgeted in hir seat as shi played with a bit of bread thoughtfully. “Well, I actually haven't seen much of it yet, but then, I'm told that there isn't much else to see, this is the hub of high culture for this planet.”

“Eh, yeah, we're not exactly the most metropolitan spaceport out there. We're still building the system.” He wasn't surprised that shi hadn't exactly been blown away by their humble environs.

“Hey, I mean that as a good thing.” Shi reached out to hold his hands in hirs. “I like it here, it's real. There aren't enough people similar enough for anyone to really be conformist, I think that half your city is devoted to plastering the place in every color but green and it amuses me so much. Especially when you Lanterns are off duty, a lot of you have very interesting taste in clothing outside of your uniforms and even then... Well, I mean you're the perfect example. You don't try to look like everyone else, you want people to look at you and see _you_ and not just another Green Lantern. I can relate. I came from a place where you had to fit in and give up your personality to survive, keep your head low so you didn't stick out in the crowd. 

"Except of course, I was the only one of my kind there, so although there were some nice people who helped me get by, I could never get ahead. It wasn't that I wanted to be one of those rich, fancy, beautiful people everyone adored, but I didn't want to live in a system that wanted me dead.” Shi trailed off suddenly, pulling hir hands back to hir chest and looking down at the table.

He understood what shi was saying, what she wasn't saying. He put his open hands on the table, hopefully beckoning for hir to reach out to him. His heart was full but hurting with how much he wanted to help, but he knew that it had to be hir choice to ask for it.

Guy decided to volunteer his own demons “I've almost died a lot of times. It sucks, the worst part is when you wake up for the first time, you only know the pain and wish that you could go back to sleep. Everyone tiptoes around you or treats you like you're being uncooperative. I... I have a lot of problems because of that. Impulse control, anger problems.” 

He sighed. “I can't just fix those things, I can't go back and undo all the terrible things that have happened to me to make me this way.” He leaned his head against his fist, idly tracing shapes through the speckled surface of the table. Hir hand joined his, interlaced with his fingers and he smiled, meeting hir eyes and finding understanding.

“We only have now.” Shi smiled. He had to stand up so that he could lean over the table to kiss hir again.

Someone cleared their throat beside him. “Ahem, are you two about done here?” The busboy, hand on his cocked hip.

Guy felt his face flame and he had to bite his tongue. He forced his head to turn towards their dishes on the table. There were crumbs and a couple of fry bits on his plate, hir bread bowl was scraped clean, the outer crust unevenly picked at. “Yeah, let's get out of here.” He said to K'yara.

~

They were laying on the bed, touching but not making out like teenagers still, their bellies too full to do anything but enjoy the comfort of one another's company.

“What would you do, if there wasn't anything holding you back, if you could have anything and everything you've ever wanted, what would it look like?” He asked hir. 

His own answer to that question frightened him because it looked an awful lot like the moment he was in, the future he was trying to build, but he didn't want to spook hir, didn't want to pressure hir. He knew that wanting hir to stay with him was incredibly selfish. Especially because shi was so vulnerable, he had to be careful not to pressure hir into anything, didn't want to make hir feel like shi owed him anything. He wanted to give hir everything, but shi had to take only what shi wanted, needed.

Guy already knew his limitations, he was rooted to his life, all his strings attached. Shi had nothing and while it certainly wasn't entirely by choice, it didn't mean that shi should or even could stay here, some people were just never meant to settle down. They didn't have all the services and amenities on Mogo, couldn't satisfy everything some people needed. Their healthcare system was little more than triage at this point, anything short of a life threatening injury had to wait until the next scheduled opening.

No one starved and everyone was given a home, they could take citizens with urgent conditions to other systems, but there was only so much they were capable of offering. Even the food situation sometimes came into question. They were building an infrastructure to produce their own agricultural system, but a great deal of it had to be imported from elsewhere. A few times they'd needed to do such things as tow asteroids to the planet and crush them into dirt just to supplement the planet. There wasn't much to salvage from the ruins of Oa itself, the guardians had essentially sacrificed the life of their planet for their own effective immortality.

Guy was glad to be part of bringing the system back to life.

“I think... Honestly... If I could have everything... I would like to be part of a family. I have lived with and known many dear friends, but in the end we've always had to part ways. I don't remember ever really having a home. My ship is basically the only thing I have left and it's not even survivable anymore.” Shi rubbed at hir arm, lip between hir sharp teeth, tears sofly spreading down hir cheeks.

Guy knew that he was absolutely too attached for her, that the sharp beating of his heart was too much. He had to bite his tongue before he said anything regrettable, he knew that he would say the wrong words for what he was feeling, and he didn't want to scare hir. But he could not ignore the blood pounding in his ears, the voice of his heart screaming that shi was asking for everything that he wanted to give hir.

“That's silly, right? I mean like, I don't even know what I would do with those things, what purpose does a house serve other than to collect junk? I mean, kids are obnoxious, I always get frustrated dealing with other people's kids. Even if they aren't misbehaving, just doing kid things that I don't think that other people should be subjected to. I don't know if maybe the only reason I feel that way is because I'm jealous, because I never had any of those things. I never had the chance to be a loud obnoxious kid, it was beaten out of me.”

“Me too.” Guy managed finally, his own eyes distinctly wet.

“I'm afraid that I would hurt them, I mean, I'm a crazy garbage person, I might drown them in a bath tub or fucking eat them or something crazy.”

“You're not crazy, you're not garbage.” He reassured, petting hir mane and kissing the top of hir head as shi tightened hir body into a sharper curl, knees almost drawn up to hir chest. 

“I used to be afraid of that too," He confided. "But then I worked with children, children with problems. Even when they exasperated me, I still loved them. I still knew not to lash out at the people I loved. I was never going to let myself become him. I was going to be a better man than the one who hurt me.”

Shi was looking up at him through a crack between hir arms. He smiled reassuringly. He'd always wondered, always wanted to believe those words but he wasn't sure that he'd ever said them aloud.

Shi was quiet longer, broke eye contact and he just continued to run his hands through hir fur, down hir back as shi gradually relaxed. He smiled ruefully as shi finally slipped to sleep. He wished he could do the same but his heart was still thumping in his chest. 

He walked to the mostly empty study. It had a desk and a few boxes of paperwork. He never really spent much time in there working, only dropping things in that he'd been carrying with him throughout the day. He had a couple of weights and minor fitness tools in one corner for days where he didn't feel like working out in the communal gym.

He started to pace and let all the thoughts and feelings run through his head muttering to himself, chewing his lip. He felt like he was in the middle of a tornado, being whipped about by debris. Did he really think that he could offer hir the stability shi seemed to need? Was he really the right person to handle this kind of thing? What was worse he didn't know for sure if there was anyone else who even had a basic handle on the kind of trauma work he knew that he wasn't qualified to even teach. To say nothing of how severely unethical it would be for him to have any kind of relationship with hir if he were to be there for her in a professional capacity. What did he even have to offer to hir in a personal relationship?

“Ring, what time is it in New York right now?” He asked.

“2400.”

“Late, but is it too late? Ring, call Tora.” He almost immediately regretted it as soon as her phone began to ring. What the hell was he thinking, calling her?

“Hello?” She asked sleepily, 

"Tora, babe, I need your honest opinion, I think I'm in love.”

She was silent for long enough he was afraid she'd hung up on him. “Guy, is this really a good time to rehash this?”

“Rehash? No. No, this isn't about us. No. Well, I mean, kind of but...”

“Guy, sit down.” She told him, he followed the direction and sat at his desk. “Do your breathing exercises.” She was right, of course, but it was so hard to get himself to calm down. After several forced respirations, he let out a long shuddering breath. “Now, start from the beginning, why are you calling me?”

He could hear the implied question of why he was calling her so late with this. He could hear Bea in the background echoing his thoughts but even less charitably and involving more Portuguese curses.

“I met someone. I... I really want to be what shi needs me to be, I really think that I can offer hir everything shi's ever wanted but... I don't know that, tell me, why did you ever keep giving me a chance? Especially after everything.”

“Guy, I know that you have a lot of problems but I know that you care. It wasn't enough for me because I need more than Oa can offer me, I need to stay on Earth because that's what I need, it's never had anything to do with you or us as a couple.” He couldn't make out the words but Bea was cursing a blue streak in the background and Tora was trying to shush her discreetly.

“Tell Bea I say hi.” He teased, hearing the sentiment of her reply if not the specific insults she spewed. Weirdly that was what he liked about her. Certainly there was no shortage of people willing to yell at him, but he was grateful for her, knowing that she was there for Tora when he couldn't be. Bea would make sure that Tora wouldn't make another mistake like him again. 

He was pretty sure that they had given up pretending that they were not a couple themselves, he wondered when they'd finally realize it for certain, if he'd get an invite to their wedding, if K'yara would still be in his life to act as his plus one. He hated that his mind kept running away with him like this, as if as soon as someone new came into his life he was putting hir into every thought. Lovesickness certainly was a disease, he was somewhere between infatuated and obsessed and he knew that wasn't healthy or right but wasn't entirely sure what he was supposed to be in his situation.

“Tell me about your new person, why you think that shi is someone you want to love, why you think that shi is someone who wants to love you?”

Guy thought about it. “Shi's kind, fun, independent, shi understands a lot of the same stuff I've been through, shi's been through a lot of stuff too. Shi wants a home, a family, I want to give that to her.”

“Guy, you're centering what you want. You're latching onto hir because you're lonely, you're getting older, you're bored with the life you have.”

He knew that, of course, but there was still something about hearing it from another person that made him feel like he was finally aware.

“So what do I do?”

“Just be there, let hir have space, wait for hir to decide things for hirself, let her explore hir options. And Guy, remember to care for yourself, I know that you want to just throw yourself at trying to solve everyone's problems but it's okay to take some time to serve yourself, to set everything aside and enjoy the things that make you feel good. You don't need someone else to complete you, you just need to be able to pay attention to what you need rather than just worrying about the things you want, but remember that it's okay to indulge sometimes.”

It wasn't exactly the advice he'd been expecting from her, but then, that was why he wanted her perspective. He was so used to being told that he was the biggest problem in his life, it rarely occurred to him that he didn't have to act like he could only vacillate between discipline and self destruction. There was a life in between.

“Tora, thank you. I do love you and I am so grateful that you put up with me.”

“Guy, just don't do anything too irresponsible, okay, think things through before you do them.”

“Yeah, good night, I'll try to be a good boy. Give Bea my love, too.” He grinned as he heard what was either “Go die” or “Go to hell”

“Good night Guy, and thank you for calling me before you did something completely catastrophic.”

“Well, give it time, I'm sure I'll find some way to fuck this up.”

“Well, try to limit the collateral damage. Take care.”

“You too.”

She hung up first. Guy felt lighter, like he had a better perspective of things. On a whim he dug out some of his favorite General Glory comics, the arc where the General was taking a break from his duties to try and figure out what he really wanted from his life.

He hesitated before getting back into bed, he didn't want to wake hir up, but K'yara was sprawled across the center of the bed, hir cloak tangled up in a way that didn't look comfortable. He set the stack of Comics on the nightstand and clicked on the lamp. She stirred, scrunching up hir face in a way that he had to lean down to kiss hir cheek. Shi growled softly, baring a fang but didn't otherwise show any distress.

“Hey beautiful, it's time for you to get tucked in.” He put his hand very gently on hir shoulder, only gently shaking hir as shi started to squirm away. “Cmon darling, the sooner you get up the sooner you can get back to sleep.”

Shi blinked awake slowly, grumbling the whole time. He helped hir take off the tattered robe and guided hir back into bed, under the covers. He kissed hir forehead again before stripping down to climb in his side of bed. Shi tossed and turned a little to get comfortable and he read a few issues of his comics before resigning himself to sleep.

~

He woke with hir head tucked under his chin, face against his neck. He stroked the fur down hir neck and realized that it soothed him to do so. It was hard to tell himself not to get too attached when shi just fit so comfortably into his life and at his side. It was finally his day off and he was hoping to spend it all with hir, helping to get hir things settled. Shi snuffled and grumbled starting to wake but fighting to stay asleep. He could relate, usually dreams were safer and warmer than reality.

He recognized when shi actually woke when shi froze, clearly disoriented before making an approving noise and looking up at him with a warm gaze.

“G'morning, Handsome.”

“Good morning to you too, Beautiful.” He was close enough, the light bright enough that he could see hir blush through hir fine facial fur. He rubbed one of hir ears, amused that shi was as affected as he was. He didn't think that he could ever get tired of kissing hir, each one was a particular special experience, the need to communicate what he was feeling when words wouldn't do.

Shi rubbed hir face against his and wiggled to slide hir body over the top of his. Shi shivered as shi realized that he'd also slept in the nude. Shi simply laid down over him like a blanket for a moment, before shi started to move hir hands back to stroking his torso. He knew he was vain, but it felt good to have all the effort he put into working out be appreciated.

Shi started moving hir nuzzling down his neck, but this time doing little more than inhaling his scent and peppering his skin with light kisses. Then shi reached his shoulder and he yelped as shi nipped the crest of his deltoid. Shi looked up at him with a mischievous grin and he could only smile back, daring, “Is that all you've got?”

Shi licked up the inside of his arm and he gasped as hir long tongue swept over his armpit without restraint. Shi licked hir lips obscenely, apparently savoring the taste before shi put as much of hir mouth over his bicep as would fit and bit down with just enough force to not break the skin. He knew that he was whimpering, squirming, could feel his eyes watering but his hips were desperately butting his dick up against the inside of hir hip.

Shi chuckled and moved up, sitting so that his throbbing dick was resting along the cleft of hir ass, tail covering it. Shi simply seemed to be enjoying the view, hir tail slowly shifting over him to keep him interested.

"Hey honey, how would you like to take a seat right here?" Guy said, tapping his mouth.

Hir ears immediately perked up directly and shi bit hir lip with undisguised enthusiasm, nodding hir head. He put his hands up along the back of hir thighs and pushed hir ass up as shi leaned forward onto hir hands and knees to clamber up his torso.

“Atta girl.” He said, before realizing that he hadn't asked if shi liked being called a girl but it was very evident that it did please hir. He hadn't really had the chance to thoroughly examine hir genitals yet, but he was fairly confident that hir anatomy was similar enough to a human vulva that he could find his way around it.

The sound shi made as he finally got a chance to lick hir made him feel all the more pleased with himself. He licked over hir folds first, selfishly delighted by the way shi tasted so well fucked thanks entirely to his own contributions. He found it interesting as he started focusing on hir clit, that he could feel it growing warmer, firmer, erect. He hummed while sucking on it, feeling hir grow in his mouth as shi shrieked, muscles taut and jumping as hir claws dug into the headboard and shi ground hir hips down against his jaw.

Hir clit got bigger than he was expecting from how it had disappeared into hir folds before, the tip was pressing along his soft palate as his tongue reached out to prod hir wetness. He needed to get hands on with this. He kept one hand on hir hip, helping to balance hir, and then started running his fingers over the slick, making sure they were well covered before he started to tease them inside.

“Nnn, yes, yes, yes, fuck, fingers, hands, fuck. hot, big, fuck.” Shi gasped. “Arms!” Shi reached down and grabbed his bicep, the same one shi had bitten earlier digging hir blunt claws into the bruises as shi rode his face with growing desperation. He couldn't help but grin as he continued his work, moaning to let hir know that he was enjoying himself too, slowly plunging and rubbing his fingers inside of hir, sliding them in and out at a steady pace. Hir thighs were squeezing his head and he was starting to feel a little light-headed from the obstruction of his breathing.

He had to move his bracing hand to give his dick a squeeze. He was committed to making sure that shi got hir pleasure first but his own desires were getting more difficult to ignore.

He made a rumble of satisfaction as shi finally crested, squeezing his fingers tight and flooding his mouth. He carefully worked hir through it, enjoying the sobbing moans of pleasure as hir body was wracked with shivers. Shi was leaning hir head against one arm laying flat over the headboard, the rest of hir starting to droop, become heavier. Frequently he considered using his ring to help move hir but knew that shi got a wild thrill from the physicality of him moving hir around through pure muscular strength. He settled hir down beside him, sitting himself up with crossed legs, the blanket still covering from his hips down.

Shi ended up reaching for his lap, running hir hands up and down his thighs before stroking his cock through the blanket. He leaned back against the headboard and let hir indulge hirself, he could wait through this kind of treatment.

Shi sighed and was pouting.

“What's wrong?” He asked, concerned.

“I can't... I'm sorry, I would like to I just don't think that I can handle anything so big in my mouth anytime soon after...”

“Hey, that's not a problem, wasn't expecting it anyways. I love giving head but it doesn't do as much for me to get it, ain't a fan of having teeth around little Guy.”

Shi snorted. “Definitely not little.”

He shrugged, certainly, he'd never felt the need to hide himself in a locker room. “I just want to make sure that you're good and ready for round two before I fuck you into the mattress.”

Hir mouth parted and a trickle of drool escaped from the corner of hir mouth before shi tried to suck it back in. He laughed and ran his hand over hir head. Shi tilted hir neck to catch his fingers in hir lips, evidently tasting hirself on them, pulling off with a pop. “These are just about right though.”

“You're a minx, you know that?” He groaned. Shi said nothing but hir slow blink and wide grin clearly telegraphed that shi was absolutely aware of what shi was doing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So although General Glory Actually ended up being a real character in the DCU, Guy still tends to default to thinking about the fictional comics he grew up reading (that are literally just Captain America comics)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> K'yara gets settled into life on Mogo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At 41 hits and no kudos, apparently I was right that nobody likes this, but I can still keep uploading anyway

CW K'yara gets triggered and Guy helps hir work through it

~

Despite his ardor he let hir take hir time regaining hir strength. Shi would need it before he fucked it out of hir again. Shi had also sidled into his lap again. They were mostly focused on heavy petting and not so dry humping, but they hadn't quite worked up to penetration when he decided to pin hir down. Shi yelped, giggling as they went over but as he loomed over hir, shi went still and looked away. First he looked in the direction that shi was looking but didn't see anything, then pulled away. “Are you okay?”

Shi nodded slowly, but still hadn't moved.

“Do you need me to go?” He sighed.

Shi shook hir head and glanced at him before staring off again. After a beat shi whispered. “Sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry for, I don't wanna spook you, sorry for taking you by surprise.”

“Not that... Surprised myself. Didn't expect to freeze.” Hir words were very flat. He could definitely recognize and respect an unwanted, unexpected trigger.

“What can I do to help?”

“Hmm, stay.... I just... I don't actually need to be able to sit up, but I need to be able to feel like I can move. Doesn't happen when I'm face down tho...”

“Yeah, stuff like this is just kinda random like that, right?” He offered, attempting to show that he understood, wasn't holding any kind of grudge.

“Yeah.” Shi smiled a bit but he was still concerned that shi hadn't changed hir position yet.

“Do you mind if I touch you?” He just felt useless sitting back and watching hir process buried misery.

Shi blinked, then closed hir eyes, took a few breaths, before exhaling a quiet, “Okay.” 

Shi didn't open hir eyes and was still tense. Guy kept his own breathing slow and steady, easing himself down onto the bed beside hir. Shi flinched as soon his hand brushed hir shoulder, but let him slowly run his hand soothingly down hir side. He continued to pet hir and smiled as shi started to relax, hir breathing deepening. Shi finally pulled hir hands to hir chest and slowly shifted hir position, rolling over to lay on hir back. Shi was looking at him again, hir expression both suspicious and grateful.

“Hey, beautiful.” He murmured, slowly reaching for hir face. Shi closed hir eyes but shi leaned into his palm. “Atta girl.” Shi rolled over again to tuck hirself against his chest, allowing him to hold hir.

Shi reinstigated affection, but he would go no further than shi ventured, holding back to let hir regain hir prior confidence.

"So, you can still face me, you just need to be at the side of the bed.” Shi commented eventually.

“Oh?” He prompted for elaboration.

“Well, yeah, I came here to get my pussy pounded, you'll need some leverage for that.” Shi scoffed with a touch of bravado he could admire.

When he was standing next to the bed, shi sat up on hir elbows and spread hir legs. He was staring, he knew, but this was his first chance to really look at hir.

“God, you're beautiful.” He breathed, reaching out to pet the inside of hir thigh and trying to keep mindful of hir face. Shi shuffled to the edge of the bed.

“You can lean over if you'd like.”

“Well, I might, but right now I'm just enjoying the view.” He was touching himself to make sure that he was ready, shivering when shi put hir feet on his hips to urge him closer. He shuffled a half step forward. Shi was right about leverage. The bed wasn't quite high enough off the ground for them to line up exactly. While he probably could effectively half squat there was also a good chance he'd cramp up. As it was, he stood with his dick about even with hir navel.

“I think that you might need to lean back.” He observed, putting his hands on hir hips. As shi lay back and let hir arms relax, he lifted hir up just to where he could slide against hir. He wasn't in a hurry, wanted to prolong the contact. 

It was then that it finally occurred to him that they hadn't used any barriers, and that was usually not how he handled situations with new partners, especially not with how casual their arrangement was so far. He really ought to call a time out to grab a rubber, but he didn't keep any upstairs these days and he didn't particularly want to stop. 

After all, they'd already come this far, what could be the harm in another round of risky sex? He'd bring it up later. He was pretty sure that shi would have said something if there was anything they needed to worry about. One of the benefits to liasons with alien beings was that they typically didn't have many compatible conditions.

He spent a moment teasing hir clit, making it align with his dick for a few strokes just to work hir up some more. Shi was already wet and he was pretty sure that he'd spread enough over himself to make it easy to slide right in. Hir legs were gripping his sides, urging him on. He moved both of his hands back to hold hir hips aloft, and slid back to align with hir opening.

He was barely aware of making a hungry growl as he pushed up against hir. He could feel a sharpness at the base of his spine urging him to go further, but he was mesmerized by the sight of himself spreading hir open. He knew that he was well endowed, but it was still somewhat stunning when he saw the difference in size between the narrow cleft of hir sex and the broad tip of his shaft. Hir folds spread around him, putting him in the mind of curtains on a stage. The lips fattened as he pushed them aside. He groaned when he finally felt himself pass inside hir heat.

He didn't want to push too hard so he pulled back a bit first, making hir whine, then he moved further forward. Shi was already quivering, biting hir lip and watching him as he slowly worked his way deeper. He was fascinated by watching himself disappear into hir body, watching the barely perceptible bulge low in hir abdomen as he moved. There was just something righteous in the feeling of filling hir up when shi was so needy, desperate to satisfy hir longing.

As he buried himself entirely into hir body, he let his hands slide to hir waist. Impatient with his gradual pace, K'yara's grip on his hips didn't let him have much room to move and shi was furiously undulating hir body to shift his position inside hir. He let hir do this because it was showing just how enthusiastic shi was about having him join with hir. It certainly didn't bother him any to feel hir clenching erratically, squirming to urge him on.

The bed was hitting his shins, so he went to his knees on the edge of the bed, lower legs hanging off. Shi made a excited little squeal as his thighs now supported hir ass. He rolled his hips in smooth circles, exploring hir many nipples. He was only a little bit disappointed that they didn't seem terribly sensitive, but he could tell that shi enjoyed it when his hands kept moving, touching hir all over.

Hir own hands were wrapped around his biceps, blunt claws digging in, hir grasp tugging him forward as shi responded to his thrusts. He was picking up the pace, starting to get the hang of the unique position they were in, when one of hir hands moved to his chest. He moaned loudly as shi started to play with first one and then both of his nipples. His newly acquired rhythm faltering as he curled over hir, planting his hands under hir arms so that Shi could still feel safe.

Shi met him halfway, catching his face to start kissing, lips meeting and breaking apart with each panting breath. Shi was starting to lose hir coordination which just urged him on to go faster. He was able to balance on his legs again, now kneeling fully on the bed. He moved his hands up over hir torso, and one hand moved up hir neck. He was startled by the sharp inhale shi made and he almost stopped entirely when shi grabbed his hand with both of his, squeezing it tightly and pushing it down on hir throat meaningfully.

He didn't usually indulge in much breath play but he knew that shi was clearly asking for it. He closed his fingers experimentally, could feel the groan shi made. He planted his other hand on the bed and started to flex the first hand as he resumed moving his hips. Next time he'd ask if he could use the power of his ring to give it a try, he reasoned that it might serve the purpose more effectively than his hand, although he couldn't discount that it was his hand that made it so appealing for hir. He looked forward to talking about this later, perhaps plotting for future encounters.

Shi started to come apart around him and he let up so that shi could breathe, the tone of hir voice rougher. He didn't leave hir too long to recover before he picked hir up and decided to show her what he could do when he really put his all into it. Shi wrapped hir arms around him and shouted hir pleasure, and he let himself get lost in his own, trusting that shi was committed to hanging on for the ride. Shi came again before he was close and he decided to keep fucking hir through it, delighted at the guttural moans shi made, twitching spasmodically as shi wordlessly praised his effort.

He came with such intensity he felt like he'd been kicked in the head, and amazingly he could feel hir coming with him again. He moaned and groaned, trying to push deeper, like he was going to fuck hir through the bed. As the aftershocks started to fade out he settled back on his heels, he didn't quite want to separate from hir yet, the last vestiges of their climaxes still pulsing through them. Shi was glassy eyed but grinning and he was sure that he looked just as wrecked.

Shi reached up to pull him to hir and he went, pulling hir close as he rolled to the side. He would soften enough to pull off soon, but they still had a few more moments to enjoy their union. His heart was still pounding in a way that made breathing more demanding and shi was still panting. He wanted to say something, to let hir know how much he enjoyed their time together but the right words just wouldn't cohese. Their embrace loosened and they both rolled to the side. His hand found hirs and he squeezed, they looked each other in the eye with a gaze that was sparkling and Guy had to believe that shi was feeling the same way that he was.

“So, I have the day off.” He said finally. His stomach growled. “I suggest we start with breakfast.”

Shi giggled and nodded. He grinned and sat up. He should probably shower, but that could wait. He pulled on a fluffy bathrobe and headed down to the kitchen. It was still hours before anyone would arrive. He had a small kitchenette upstairs, but he kept most of the food in the restaurant. He was frying bacon, humming to himself when he heard hir approach. Shi was wearing one of his shirts, and was practically swimming in it. He knew that shi wasn't actually very small, but the size difference between them was still significant enough that it hung off one shoulder and exposed the top of hir chest. The sleeves hung to hir elbows and the hem mid-thigh. He leaned over and kissed hir forehead. Shi cringed cutely, curling into hirself, and he could see hir tail lifting the back of the shirt.

Shi scampered away playfully, ears flicking. Shi smiled with hir head down, eyes daring him to give chase. He looked back at the stove, then back to hir. He turned off the burner and crossed his arms over his chest. Hir tail was wagging slowly, and he wasn't sure if shi was about to start towards him or away from him. Shi took a few steps towards the other side of the prep table and he opened his stance to be ready to lunge after hir.

Shi started running and he leapt over the table, just brushing past hir. Then he fell on his ass because he was too busy staring at hirs to get his feet under him in time. With hir tail raised in excitement and from his vantage point on the floor he could see everything, including the damp sheen of his own cum still clinging to hir fur.

He made a little growl as he got to his feet and shi giggled, standing at the other end of the table now. He started moving down the long end of the table as shi edged further away. As they passed halfway, he lunged over the table again and shi whooped, laughing loudly as shi bolted to the other end, waiting again, biting hir lip. Guy pulled his hands up under him and got on his knees on the table.

“Where you going to go now?” He asked, waiting to see which direction shi would go. Shi leaned one way, then bolted out the kitchen door into the bar. Guy followed as quick as a flash, he knew that shi was going to let hir catch him eventually, but it was just too fun not to indulge hir little game.

He made it to the center of the tavern and stopped, looking for where shi'd gone. “So it's hide and seek now is it?” He called out.

A poorly stifled giggle escaped behind him and he whirled, ready to spring into action. Shi bolted behind the bar as he ran and jumped on top of it. Shi collapsed into a pile of giggles when he finally cornered hir. He stepped off the bar top and knelt down to haul hir bodily into his arms, kissing hir wherever he could reach.

Shi unwound into his lap and he leaned back. Shi was straddling his hips and opened his robe. He closed his eyes with a moan and settled onto his elbows, letting hir grind against him to get him hard again. Shi was leaning over him, rubbing and licking his chest, then working hir way down. He pet hir head and then moaned when shi took the tip of him into hir mouth for a lingering kiss.

And then his dick was cold and hir footsteps pattered off. He got back on his feet in a hurry, chasing hir through the cafe tables, finally catching hir at a booth. He pinned hir against the table with his body and started to bite at hir neck, one arm holding hir to him while he lifted one of hir thighs onto the table.

“Do you want this?” He grumbled, teasing his fingers over hir heat. Shi moaned and nodded, gasping when his cock followed his fingers. He held onto hir thigh again, then pulled back his arm to push hir down onto the table. He slid into hir easily, both of them moaning. While he started slowly, each thrust was a full movement, filling hir completely and then retreating. Shi was trembling and then coming again as he started to pick up the pace. Shi was certainly making him work up quite the appetite.

The hand on hir thigh slid up to play with hir clit as he held hir hips in place with a tightening grip. His face was hot and the slap of skin on skin echoed through the empty restaurant, hir moans bouncing off the walls. He was panting loudly, pushing himself hard. He wasn't going to risk getting interrupted again, and he was ravenous now.

The loud squelching where they were joined just reminded him of how good it looked when shi was dripping with his cum, squirting with excitement. He liked that, he really liked that and was thinking about how much he wanted to have this every day. He came while thinking of that, moaning into hir mane, letting his weight settle over hir as hir body wrung him out.

“Okay, I'm starving. Let me finish cooking next time, all right.” On an impulse, he slapped hir ass as soon as he pulled away, watched hir clench as his cum dripped out of hir. He was almost tempted to go to his knees and lick it up, especially when shi rolled over, legs still spread wide. Shi was still breathing heavily, mouth slightly parted, hir fur was damp with sweat and in total disarray.

“Goddamn you look amazing.” He reached out to hir arms, wanted to spend longer looking at hir, but knew that they couldn't do this all day, there were too many important things which needed doing. To say nothing of the fact that he wasn't going to be ready to go again for awhile. He wasn't as young as he once was, and he was out of practice.

He'd largely stopped having random trysts some time around the last time he and Tora had been together and then split apart.

“Oh, right, we should probably talk, I don't usually raw people and it's pretty poor etiquette on my part that we've already fucked without discussing it, but I'm guessing that we don't have anything to worry about or you would have warned me, right?” He felt incredibly stupid that it had taken him this long to remember, but it was better late than never.

Shi blinked up at him slowly, then shrugged half-heartedly. “I usually can't find anyone willing. G'nort was the first person I met in years who was interested and I had the talk with him and he vouched for you. I'm not on any contraceptives but my kind isn't fertile all the time like humans are and we're not compatible with humans, so I don't think that there's anything you need to worry about.”

“Okay, well, I just wanted to check.” He sighed, not sure why hir resignation disappointed him as much as it did, what it was that was bothering hir. 

Maybe shi thought that he was judging hir, but then, he was the dumb asshole who fucked hir without asking first. He probably should have brought condoms with him to G'nort's in the first place, but he really didn't think that he was going to be having sex that night, he wasn't even sure that shi was reciprocating his attraction until halfway through the walk.

Yesterday it definitely should have occurred to him. He'd been stone cold sober and they'd been in the closet with the industrial sized box of condoms. Still, nothing would come of it anyway and he wasn't about to start wearing a rubber when they'd already enjoyed having it raw. He smirked as he got back to his half cooked bacon, and tied his robe shut again.

While the grease was heating he cleaned up the mess they'd made. He hoped that the continued silence between them was comfortable. He was pretty sure that shi was as hungry as he was, eyes transfixed on the cooking bacon, periodically wiping hir mouth.

“So I was planning to take you out to get all your official documentation and stipend taken care of. We can also find out what the mechanics have to say about your ship, and then see what you wanna do next.”

Shi nodded and looked away. Odd that shi seemed sad, or maybe shi was just exhausted. He had been pretty rough with hir, but he was pretty sure that shi would say something if he'd done anything wrong. He frowned as he set the bacon aside to drain and started cracking eggs.

Shi still seemed morose as they ate, almost despondent, he wasn't sure if he should just ask what was wrong or wait for hir to tell him.

“Well, we should probably get a shower next.” He said as he took the plates to the sink.

Shi sighed. “I don't have any of my clothes, left my duffel at G'nort's.”

“It's okay, I have some shorts that should fit you and I see you’ve already helped yourself to my shirts.” He was worried that he sounded accusing, but shi smiled at him, and he felt butterflies. Shi still wasn't beaming like shi was before, but he was glad to see that shi didn't seem to be upset with him. 

Maybe shi was just scared about having to face the real world. Shi was stranded in a strange place without a credit to hir name. He hoped that shi would feel better after shi cleaned up and got hir official residency and starting credits. It wasn't a lot, but no one on Mogo starved or suffered for a want of credits. There was no shortage of odd jobs one could find to supplement their basic income, and many craftspeople willing to teach their trade to newcomers.

He was having trouble holding back the possessiveness he was feeling, he didn't want to be a jerk, not anymore, but seeing hir dressed in his clothes, being at his side, he just felt like shi belonged to him, and he knew that kind of thinking was wrong. Shi belonged to hirself, and while he was eternally grateful for all that shi'd shared with him, it would be wrong to make any claims over hir. Shi would probably hang around only as long as it took for hir ship to be repaired and then he'd just count himself lucky if he ever saw hir again. He should be happy with that, he shouldn't expect more than what he'd already had.

They both laughed when shi received hir ID, the picture taken making hir look mildly psychotic, hir grin almost a snarl, the flash causing hir retinas to reflect a glowing light in hir eyes.

“It's inevitable, no one can ever get one that looks good, here let me show you mine.” He'd also been caught off guard, mid-expression so he looked slightly cross-eyed and a grimace that was part pout and part snarl. His eyes looked shaded. It was also taken while he'd had his longer, less fashionable haircut. He rubbed at the back of his head where it was buzzed short.

Shi seemed overwhelmed when they told hir how many credits shi'd be starting with, putting a hand to hir mouth and crying a little, thanking everyone a little too desperately.

Shi seemed cagiest when they made it to the mechanic's, which seemed reasonable, the ship could be totally unsalvageable, or require exorbitant repairs. Guy knew that the shop would be willing to work with hir, but with where shi'd been and where shi'd come from, he couldn't blame hir for being anxious.

“Well, it's not the worst case I've seen but she's in pretty bad shape and it'll take awhile for parts to come in. This is an old model and I am going to have to fabricate and customize some of it myself, it's already quite a kludge job.” The mechanic explained.

K'yara nodded, ears laid back. “How much do I owe you?”

“No need to worry about that, little lady. Kyle paid the bill yesterday.”

“What was Kyle doing here?” Guy knew that he was being irrational, but he couldn't help the spike of jealousy that flared in his gut. He knew shi'd befriended many of the other Lanterns hir first night on Mogo, and it wasn't like they had promised any kind of exclusivity, but just hearing the name of the other man set alarm bells off in his head.

The mechanic shrugged. “He was checking in on things, knew that our new friend is just getting started here and wanted to help out.”

“Well... That was nice of him.” Guy said, doing his best to dial back the jealous rage he felt over the thought that shi might leave him for a rival. After all, he'd taken hir from G'nort. He closed his eyes and grimaced, putting a hand to his head. That wasn't right either. Shi was hir own person, and if shi wanted to go back to G'nort he would have to let her. After all at least G'nort was the same species as shi. His nails were digging into his palms at the thought of hir settling down with the doofus and having puppies together and he'd still be all alone and pathetic and the angry jerk everybody hated.

He flinched at a soft touch on his arm. “Are you okay?” K'yara asked quietly, looking anxious.

“Yeah, I'm fine, just a migraine.” It wasn't exactly a lie, his head was throbbing. Sometimes he could swear he could feel scarring from all the damage he'd taken to the noggin over the years.

Shi insisted on treating him to ice cream and he indulged hir. Sitting in the parlor his headache faded away and he relaxed, trying not to let himself focus on distressing imaginary threats. He just needed to stay grounded in the present, enjoy the time he did have with hir.

“So... What do you think you want to do now?” He asked, shifting in the small chair.

Shi looked up at him with a spoon in hir mouth and winked. When shi finished swallowing the bite of dessert, shi looked more thoughtful, a little wistful. “I don't know. I usually take things day by day... It's always been too uncertain to plan for anything.” Shi shifted uncomfortably, drawing hir hands to hir chest.

“Well, you can stay here as long as you like, take your time, get familiar with the place.” His palms were sweaty and he clasped his hands together to keep from fidgeting. He needed to ask hir... Something. He had to tell her... But what, exactly? It would be crazy to confess love to someone he just met and he could just be high off the rush of actually getting laid. But he still wanted hir to stay with him. But he didn't want to make hir feel obligated.

“We can go to the Housing Commission, if you want to find your own place to stay.” He managed, without gritting his teeth too much.

“Oh... Yeah, I guess I should do that next.” Shi seemed distant. “I need to get my stuff first.” Shi said more firmly, sitting up stiffly.

“Oh... Right, I guess we go back to G'nort's then.” Guy didn't particularly want to and he wondered if it would bother hir to be there again. “I could just go get it for you, if you want. I could drop you off at the Housing office, so you can get a head start on the wait.”

Shi closed hir eyes and considered this before shaking hir head. “No, I hate sitting still, I don't mind walking.”

“I could fly us, too.” He offered with a shrug.

Shi shook hir head more forcefully. “Fear of falling.”

“Well, then I guess we start walking.”

They made it about two blocks before Guy realized that it seemed overcast. K'yara was seeming similarly gloomy. He hesitantly reached his arm out over hir shoulders. He was pleasantly surprised that shi snuggled up to him, putting hir arm around his waist and they continued walking hip to hip.

“You feeling okay?” He asked after awhile. They weren't walking very quickly, almost dancing leisurely.

“It's all just been pretty overwhelming.” Shi rubbed at hir eyes. “I'm really glad I met you.”

“Me too.”

They looked at each other, slowing, about to turn and embrace, when raindrops started to fall.

“Aw, Christ, just my luck.” He grumbled. K'yara was ducking hir head. He took off his jacket and held it above them, pulling hir close again as they started walking more hurriedly.

The rain shower gradually tapered off and the skies had cleared by the time they reached G'nort's apartment. Guy knocked on the door and waited, trying to get a read on how shi was feeling.

“Come on up.” G'nort said over the intercom, and Guy shrugged, opening the door to the building. They only had to go up one floor. There were many apartments available for the Lanterns, though most of these were vacant most of the time, most lanterns tended to live in their own sectors and only stayed on Mogo a few weeks a year.

“I'll just go get my bag.” K'yara muttered, slinking to the spare bedroom shi had stayed in hir first night on the planet. It was hard for Guy to believe that it'd only been two days.

“How's the cockbite.” Guy couldn't help but ask once shi was out of earshot.

“As well as you'd expect.” G'nort sighed. “Should take about a week to heal, I'll be resting the next couple of days. Hurts to walk around.”

“Yeah, I'd imagine.”

“Guy, take care of hir, alright? I know you're a hotshot and all but shi's really been through a lot.”

Guy smirked, rocking on his heels, trying not to gloat. “Yeah, I'm doing my best.” Being called a hotshot amused him, he knew that he'd never outgrow his reputation, but he'd been making great progress into becoming a mature adult. Sure, it might have been a decade or so later than most, but he was working on it, which is more than most people could say and that was good enough for him.

Shi came back out with a weatherbeaten duffel bag slung over hir shoulder and balanced on hir back.

“Do you want me to carry that for you?” He offered and shi nodded hesitantly, taking the last couple steps towards him. He grabbed the strap with one arm and slung it over his shoulder. It was mostly clothes and bedding by his guess, but it wasn't like it was any of his business.

Shi was sullen again as they headed back towards the municipal district.

He thought over what to say to hir before asking. “You think about how you want to setup your own place?”

Hir head lowered and he knew he'd said the wrong thing but didn't understand why.

“I don't know what I'm going to do.” Shi sniffled.

“Wow, hey, it's okay.” He set hir duffel on the ground and moved to face hir. He put one hand on hir shoulder and cupped hir face. He could feel the dampness of hir tears.

“I just... It's.” Shi was cradling hir hands to hir chest again. “I don't want to be alone anymore.”

He hugged hir, knowing that there wasn't a question that shi needed it. “You won't be alone. They can put you into a common house, if you want...” Shi coughed and started sobbing harder. “Hey, it's okay, we'll figure it out...” He reassured, petting hir back.

Shi was clutching at the front of his shirt and he could hear hir teeth grinding as shi struggled to bite back hir tears. He rubbed his cheek against hir head, wondering how he was supposed to make hir feel better. 

Obviously shi was lost and scared in a new place. Shi didn't actually know anyone well enough to trust them yet. It made sense that it would be frightening to face the future without any idea what it might hold. He couldn't fix whatever had happened to hir in the past, and he couldn't make any promises about the future, but he knew he needed to do something in the present, he just wasn't sure what it was.

“Do you... Would you like to keep staying with me?” He asked cautiously, feeling like he was risking being insensitive and selfish.

“Is... Is that okay?” Shi asked, voice breaking.

“Of course it is, I just didn't want you to feel like you had to stay with me. I know that we just met and I didn't want to make you feel like you were stuck with me.” He was starting to feel like a Grade A Moron realizing that shi had been miserable all day because shi thought that he didn't want hir around.

“I don't want to impose.” Shi wheezed, sniffling.

“You aren't imposing.” He reassured. “I just... I know that I have a problem, problems, really... I can be... Kind of a prick. Especially when I'm... Involved with someone, I can get... Overprotective... Jealous... Selfish... Possessive.... And I didn't want to make you feel trapped or scared that I was about to fly off the handle.”

Shi was fidgeting with his shirt in hir hands. “I don't think that anyone has ever wanted me like that before...”

“Well... You do now... I mean, if you want me to be. No pressure. Hell I can give you my spare room if you need some place that's your own.” His heart was pounding and shi reached out to hug him back, arms tight around his ribs. Shi nodded and he could feel the dampness of hir tears on his chest.

“I'm sorry for overreacting.” Shi muttered, still trembling with sniffling sobs.

“No, hey, don't say that, it's perfectly okay to be scared, I know that this must be really stressful for you, I feel like an idiot for not realizing that I made you feel like you weren't welcome.”

“So... I can really stay?” Shi still was hiding hir face against his chest but a lot of the tension had left hir.

“As long as you like.” He promised, his mind offering more than was wise to say.

“Thank you.” Shi muttered with a long shuddering sigh. “I'm probably going to still be pretty weepy for awhile, when I get worked up it takes some time for it to work out of my system. Sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about. It's a good thing that you're working through it, trying to keep all that stuff bottled up and hidden away just makes it worse.”

“I just mean... That... Um... well... I probably won't be in the mood for a bit.”

He laughed. “That's not going to be a problem. I was starting to worry I wouldn't be able to keep up, maybe ten years ago I might have but it's been awhile since I have been as... sexually active as we've been the last two days.”

Shi heaved another sigh of relief and then finally looked up at him again. Hir eyes were still shining with tears, but shi was smiling weakly, hir expression inscrutable. Shi kissed him and he let it linger.

“So, hey.” He said as they relaxed. “How about we go home?” Shi nodded, hir smile a bit brighter, stronger than before but still tearstained.

He took the same order they'd picked yesterday and took it upstairs to eat, showed hir his half empty study. “You can have this to yourself, I have to move the stuff out, and I still only have the one bed ... But if you want...”

“Really, it's fine, you don't need to go through all this trouble for me.” Shi was blushing and he was just glad that he was close enough to see it.

“It's no trouble, having you around has been the best thing to happen to me since... Well, a long damn time.”

Shi sidled over to him and kissed him on the cheek. “I know the feeling.”

He turned his head and kissed hir lips, softly at first and then deeper. Shi fit so nicely into his arms, and he could tell that shi was becoming more relaxed with him, and that was what he valued most. He wanted to be that to someone, safe, comforting, home. He only hoped that he could keep it up, he usually ruined everything eventually.

“We should eat dinner before it gets cold.” He prompted.

He'd left the takeout bag on the counter of his kitchenette. They were quiet while eating again, but kept glancing at each other and smiling in reassurance, amusement, affectionate glances. Guy took a moment to think about the convenience of the fact everything disposable was biodegradable here. The cartons were paper, the cloth bag from the marketplace was hand woven. They were hoping that their settlement here would avoid the problems of pollution and resource depletion so common on other worlds.

He wondered what it was like where shi was from. Clearly, shi was a nomad now, but presumably shi had once called some place home. He was pretty sure that hir family had been refugees from the collateral damage of the Rann-Thanagar war, but wherever that had taken them could have been anywhere. Or perhaps it had been sooner. The war had only been about ten years ago, shi probably wouldn't have actually been so young. He realized that he wasn't even sure how old shi was, how hir time would convert to his. He wondered if he should ask, what he should ask.

He had been so worked up all day with the fear that shi would be gone and now he realized how little they had to go on so far. He looked hir over again, decided a safe topic would be what seemed to be decorative marks on hir ears, with a line of piercings on the lower edge.

“So, do your ear tags have any particular meaning?” He asked and immediately felt like he'd put his foot in his mouth. Hir ears flattened and shi closed hir eyes with a grimace. “Sorry, you don't have to tell me.”

“No... It's better that you know, it's not a big deal. The metal I put in, got a new pair every few years... But the notches....” Shi sat back and fidgeted. “It was so that I could be identified. Without actually having to get personal. Apparently the number turned out to be a superstitious omen of bad luck so...” Shi shrugged.

He knew that shi was only telling half a story. What he knew about G'nort and his homeworld suggested that wherever this had happened to hir was some place far worse. He should change the subject, ask about something, anything else. “Where were you that they needed to number you?” There was a short list of possibilities, prison, millitary, refugee, institution.

“I was a slave.” Shi said so quietly he almost didn't hear. He saw red for a moment but closed his eyes and breathed through it.

“Where?” Slavery was illegal everywhere under Corps control. Which meant that shi'd been further out than he thought, or he was going to bust some heads. He might do so anyway if he learned who was behind it.

“It's not important...” Shi looked incredibly agitated, hackles rising.

He did his best to stay calm as he reached out to hir. “I know that it's hard for you to talk about, but it's my job to make sure that doesn't happen to people.”

“It... Was handled... But.... It wasn't the kind of.... It wasn't very open. I ended up in the pens because I was ‘an ugly beast’ unfit for housework, too weak for manual labor...”

Guy shifted uncomfortably, there weren't too many options left to list when people were enslaved to be used. He'd worried that something bad had happened, clearly it had, but he wasn't sure that he wanted confirmation.

“Mostly I was a scapegoat... Bottom of the pecking order, left with the dirty jobs no one wanted to do, everyone taking their turns fucking me over...” Shi was leaning hir head against where shi held his hand with both of hirs. He pet hir with his free hand.

“But you got free, eventually...” He coaxed.

“Yeah, someone took pity on me, or just wanted a deal. I never met the person who purchased me. I worked on a cruiseliner, I wasn't the only one press ganged into service there. I did a little better for awhile, until the company went under, assets liquidated. I got away in the confusion, there were too many of us to keep track of in the port the ship ended up in, no one to buy us, no money to feed us so we got emancipated. I was a scavenger for awhile, got adopted by a kind old soul, lost them. Eventually I got my ship, took it from system to system as much as I could afford... And that's been it, really.”

“What about before all that, what was your childhood like?”

“A bit better, good mother... Brothers, eh. Brothers.” Shi shrugged.

Guy dropped his head. “Yeah, I get that.”

“Lost my big brother, that was hard on us.”

“I lost mine too.” He empathized, giving hir hands a squeeze. Shi squeezed back and gave a sympathetic smile.

“We all kinda went our different ways... My other brothers got in trouble with law on and off, did shit jobs when they were on the outs. I trusted the wrong people, got to be collateral that didn't get paid.”

“Geez, that's so rough.” He stroked his hand over hir ear, playing with some strands of hir mane.

“Life is rough.” Shi shrugged.

“But it doesn't have to be. As long as I can, I'm going to do everything in my power to make things easy for you.”

“Thank you.” Shi hummed, kissing his wrist.

“How about we go lay down for awhile, maybe put a movie on?”

“That sounds nice.”

Guy stood up and walked to hir side, kissing hir temple, putting his arms around hir. Shi melted into his embrace, sighing happily. He pushed his advantage and swooped his arm under hir knees, cradling hir securely and kissing hir face. Shi squealed and giggled.

He carried hir to bed and insisted on tucking hir in again before setting up his entertainment system. He was thoughtful as he considered the options. Something light hearted, maybe adventurous. He grinned, odds were that shi wasn't familiar with Earth films.

“Let's watch some Star Wars, a pretty funny imagining of what humans thought space would be like before we actually started getting visitors from space on the regular. I think they made some new ones recently, though I don't have those.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol Star Wars
> 
> Anyway this chapter hit me with surprise, helped me work through some of my own trauma. I'm also pleased by how well it covers minor details that don't seem like they'll be relevant yet. I have been planning a lot more for this story since I first started writing it a month or two ago


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Settling in

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone finally left a kudos *wipes tear* thank you so much, I have invested so much into this fic and it's really hard to maintain enthusiasm While feeling like this is merely uninteresting at best

He wasn't sure if shi was actually paying attention to the movie, but he certainly didn't mind that shi was leaning hir head on his chest, one hand under his shirt and absently stroking his belly. He knew shi definitely wasn't paying attention when hir soft nuzzling against his neck turned to licking and then nibbling at his ear.

“Well, two can play at that game.” He purred putting his hands on hir ears and rubbing. Shi whimpered and moved hir kisses to his face. Shi pushed his shirt up further and moved to straddle him. “Oh, is it gonna be like that then?”

Shi giggled and stripped off hir shirt.

“I'm the luckiest fucking man in the universe.” He moved his hands up hir hips and delighted himself with fondling hir many tits. Hir tail started to wag, right over his hardening cock. He groaned and then shi dipped hir head down to start licking his chest. Shi quickly found and began nipping at his nipples.

Shi was still wearing his shorts, which meant that it was a simple thing to slide his hand right to hir crotch. Shi leaned into his touch. Shi reached down in turn to free his cock. Hir hand started working him lazily and they began to kiss again, breathless with anticipation. Shi shifted again, the bagginess of the shorts allowed hir enough room to start rubbing the stickiness of his tip against hir wetness.

Butting up against hir heat was sweet torture. It felt like a kiss, even as shi was mewling against his lips, gasping into his mouth. Shi was so soft, parting around him. Hir face was hot, but hir body was hotter. Shi took hir time settling, but when shi did, shi sat upon him like he was her throne. Shi was truly beautiful and he was content to supplicate himself to hir desires.

Shi built momentum gradually, rolling hir hips with an almost meditative quality. Hir breaths became sharp pants, hir flesh quivering, strained little noises escaping hir. He was feeling crazy, starting to move with hir naturally. Sweat was starting to drip, ever slick skin sliding against skin.

Shi started to falter as shi began to crest, but he held hir hips, braced his heels and fucked hir through it, delighting in how utterly gracelessly shi surrendered to him. He sat up and got up on his knees, clutching hir to him as he chased his own satisfaction. Hir claws and teeth dug into his flesh with such happy noises.

He wasn't sure which one of them went over first but they fell together. He held hir hips in place as he let the rest of him settle back down to the bed. Shi followed, nuzzling against his chest. One of his hands moved to cup hir ass, the other running fingers through the long fur of hir mane.

Shi was idly tracing patterns over his skin, then sighed. “You know... It's too bad we're not compatible genetically... I've never been bred but I always kind of wanted to imagine.”

“We can adopt.” He suggested before his brain caught up that this was probably just idle pillow talk, not intent.

Shi giggled. “Maybe someday... But I just mean... I think that it's kind of sexy... I mean that's what sex is all about right? Our bodies just trying to fill me with your babies.”

“Okay, yeah, that is pretty fucking hot, and I have been filling you with so many.” He replied smugly, kissing hir cheekbone. His hand on hir ass moved so that he could feel the evidence of it with his fingers, somewhat bemused by the reminder that Shi was still wearing the hilariously oversized shorts he'd loaned hir. Those would definitely end up in the hamper. “So yeah, we can definitely pretend if that's what you want to do.”

“We'll see what I'm feeling like next time.” Shi looked bashful but anticipatory.

“I like hearing that there will be a next time.” He offered, cupping hir face.

“Well, I don't have any other prospects, might as well let myself indulge.” Shi shrugged.

“You really going to stay?” He asked a little plaintively.

“Well, there's nowhere else I'd rather go.” Shi replied, eyes soft.

~

He groaned when his alarm went off, another day, this one working. K'yara's head was pillowed on his chest, cheek slightly sticky with drool. As he reached to turn off the alarm shi tightened hir grip on his arm and made a grunting noise, grimacing.

“Babe, c'mon, I gotta get to work, you don't have to get up but I can't stay.” His shift had been a stable workweek with Mondays and Fridays off. Maybe he would need to change it if shi stayed awhile. He was tempted to call off today but it would never fly. Everyone knew what was occupying him, one of the flaws of a small community. He was just glad that the high collar of his uniform would hide most of the marks on his neck. The ones on his arms he couldn't do much about, but were slightly less stigmatized.

So he had to extricate himself as shi struggled against waking. He knew shi was conscious when a whining yawn escaped hir. Shi looked at him through bleary narrowed eyes and pouted. “Do you have to?”

“Yes, I do, the universe is counting on me.”

“You in Specific.”

“Of course.”

Shi snorted and let go of his arm. Shi sat up and stretched as a louder yawn escaped hir. Shi almost immediately slumped back down.

“You know where the food is, I showed you how the entertainment center works last night and if you need anything else, just ask someone for help, we look after each other here. After all, you made quite a few friends here the other night.”

Shi sighed. “There's no way I could persuade you to stay?”

He knelt down to kiss hir temple, ran his hand over the soft fur of hir belly. “I appreciate the offer but I gotta go. Just relax, rest, enjoy my DVD collection. Go for a walk if you want. I will be home later tonight.”

Shi rolled over and started pulling the covers back up around hir body. He helped tuck hir back in and said goodbye with a kiss to hir forehead and soft, “Sweet dreams.”

~

The others only teased him about as much as he expected and he let himself brag a reasonable amount. Most of the conversations were genuine interest, curious how the newcomer was acclimating. He told them some of the lighter stuff, the kinds of things shi had admired when they'd wandered through the markets. Shi had a particular way about hir, knowledgeable about handicrafts and enthusiastic about form vs function.

He wondered if shi would venture out and maybe purchase some of the things that shi had been admiring the previous day. He really did want hir to feel at home, whatever that would end up coming to mean for hir. He wondered about the adage about needing a feminine touch, not that it was exactly right to describe hir. Shi was definitely an artist of some merit, and he hoped that shi would share that aspect of hirself.

The day wasn't too busy, so nothing catastrophic came to pass if maybe he was a little more distracted than usual. Hal and John were on Earth rotation, he and Kyle at Corps HQ. He'd been thinking about offering up his next opportunity to one of the others and now that he had K'yara to look after, maybe he would actually feel like he belonged somewhere. 

Maybe he would take the trip and take hir with him. He got the distinct impression that hir travels generally didn't involve tourism. People on Earth were still a little uncertain about extraterrestrials but most people wouldn't bother them. And if someone tried, he was Guy Fuckin Gardner and they could try. He'd bring it up.

~

He took the stairs two at a time and skidded to a halt in front of his bedroom door. The sounds coming from behind were unmistakable.

“So, you found the porn, I see.” He let his uniform dissolve, enjoyed how hir eyes widened. He reached down and gave himself a half-hearted tug. It wouldn't take too long to get hard, shi was thrown back on the bed with three of hir fingers in hir cunt. “I'll show you where I keep my toys if you like?” he offered as he crawled into the bedspread, laying down next to hir so that he didn't loom.

“I... I'm not usually so horny...” Hir face was flushed as shi scooted closer to him.

“Well, I'm not complaining. Don't let me interrupt, it looks like you were quite enjoying yourself.”

“I'd rather be enjoying you.” Heat flashed up his spine as hir wet warm hand reached down to stroke him. Definitely would not take very long.

“How would you prefer me?” He asked.

“I don't really know, I'm...not actually very experienced in um.... but I have been getting some ideas...”

“Just take your time, princess, I'm in no hurry.” He cupped hir face with both hands and kissed the tip of hir nose. Shi closed the distance between them, wrapping hir arms over his shoulders.

“I think... I think that as long as you hold me tight... I... I want you to go slow and soft... From on top...”

“Are you sure?” He asked with concern.

“Yeah... I... I want this with you... I want to see and feel you.” He could tell that this was a leap of faith from hir, and while he knew that it could be too much too soon, he slowly eased his body over hirs, setting his weight against hir in measured degrees. Shi quivered but was kissing his neck, running hir feet over his calves. Shi made a particularly satisfied noise as shi moved hir hands to run them over the muscles of his back, as if trying to memorize the shape of him. 

He was resting on his elbows, waiting for hir to make the next move. He knew that this would be delicate, knew that it had to move at hir own pace. He didn't want to be responsible for another unpleasant experience for hir, and he knew that what shi was navigating around was worse than that. He nuzzled his face against hir neck and shi released a shuddering breath. Shi was distinctly inhaling his scent, was rubbing hir own face against his hair.

Mirroring seemed to be a safe bet, he shifted to one side, started to stroke hir mane as shi rubbed hir fingers over his scalp soothingly. He had to bite back a laugh, realizing that he'd essentially been petting hir like one would a dog or cat this whole time; Now shi was the one doing the petting. He hummed against hir throat and nudged hir jaw so that shi would know that he appreciated it. He shivered as hir claws lightly scraped through his hair so very gently.

Their actions were so tender it was suddenly glaring how the porn on the TV did not suit the mood at all. He was just glad that the volume was low. “Hey, I'm going to use my ring to turn off the TV real quick, okay?” He announced it because he felt like shi might startle if he did it without warning.

Hir eyes tracked the green glow that extended into a tendril to flick off the device. It occurred to him that the remote was probably close at hand but he'd already committed. Shi was giving him a calculating look.

“Later you'll have to show me what else you can do with that, and show me those toys you mentioned.” Shi purred.

He smiled and kissed hir, glad that shi was talking in a comfortable cadence, body relaxed. “Of course. Anything for you, darling.” Shi lay hir head back and let out an easy sigh, running hir hands over his body with a satisfied smile on hir face.

“I think... Can you keep talking... Just... Easy...”

“Yeah, I don't mind telling you how beautiful you are, how crazy it's been making me, how wonderful you are.” He nuzzled against hir face lightly. “You're so very special. I look forward to getting to know all about you, I know that I am going to -”

Shi caught his lips and clutched to him like shi was falling. “Okay... Okay... I... I'm ready, I want you.”

“You sure, sweetheart?” Shi pulled back to look at him with a daring glint in hir eyes, sliding one thigh over his hips, trying to shuffle hir own into position. He kept one arm under hir shoulders, reached his other hand to guide them together. Shi shuddered and sighed. He was concerned to see that hir eyes were wet, but shi urged him on. He slid in slowly, incremental, letting hir gasp and shake and squirm, begging for more.

“You okay?” He asked, brushing their lips together.

“Yes, yes, fuck, Guy!” Shi whined.

“You did tell me to take things slow.” He chuckled, pushing forward a little more firmly.

Shi made an indignant little huff that trailed off into a moan as he continued to fill hir. He kept their chests pressed together, his knees pressing into the mattress. He moved his hands down to hir hips to help close the final inches between them as he pushed his weight down.

“This is okay? Good?”

Shi nodded furiously, moaning, a choked noise. He was alarmed that shi still seemed to be crying but shi was very clearly invested in continuing, shi certainly didn't seem unhappy and that was when it clicked. Shi was literally crying tears of happiness, and he felt honored to have played a part in it.

He moved with a steady rolling rhythm, absolutely intent on watching hir give hirself over to him, so trusting and adoring. He didn't think that he deserved it, but he was not going to deprive hir of the experience.

“Should I talk about what we talked about last night?” He asked with a low groan. Shi blinked, clearly not processing the words, he stilled and shi whined hir disappointment before nodding as shi finally processed what he'd said. “Talking about breeding you... Filling you up with my babies. Is that what you want? Do you want me to make you a mommy, You're gonna be such a good mommy to our babies.” He knew he was getting too worked up by this line of thinking but the sounds shi was making were divine. He found himself wishing it weren't just an idle fantasy, thought about how much he'd love to make that a reality, let hir have that desire fulfilled that was so clearly haunting hir. “You're gonna be even more gorgeous, gonna get fat and round, gonna get full of milk, sweet and creamy.”

He shuddered, not realizing that he was dangerously close to coming too soon. He knew that shi was close too, he only needed to hold out a little longer. Shi was being mouthy, and it caught him entirely off guard. His hips stuttered to a halt and shi had effectively brought hirself off by forcing him over first. He buried his face against hir neck as shi wrung him out.

“Hmmm looks like I got your milk first.” Shi murmured smugly after they had lay still for awhile, catching their breath. “I get to make you a daddy.” Shi added and he whined.

“Fuck... You're getting good at this.” He nuzzled hir face.

Shi cupped his cheek, grinning wickedly. “I'm learning from the best.”

“That's me, Guy Fuckin Gardner, best fuck this side of the Andromeda galaxy.” He boasted playfully, knowing that shi could probably stand to go a few more rounds but he was going to need a break. Shi was giving him an odd look, like shi wanted to correct him about something, but eventually glanced away.

“You're getting heavy.” Shi grumbled, pushing at his shoulder, in response he let his whole bodyweight pin hir down. Shi gave an indignant squeak.

“Oohhhh, nooo, I'm soooooo tired, I'll just have to lay here and be your blanket.” He smothered his face in hir breasts.

His victory was short lived as hir fingers trailed lightly over his skin, making him twitch. He had only a moment to realize what was about to happen and then shi was relentlessly tickling him. Hir thighs were still wrapped around him and shi held tight as he thrashed like a rodeo bull.

“Alright, alright, mercy! I surrender.” He squawked, rolling onto his back. Shi sat perched upon him smugly, then leaned down to kiss his nose. He put his hands on hir hips, trying to keep a straight face, but hirs was defiant. He didn't get so much as a twitch from tickling hir ribs. He tried hir armpits and shi let him try with the back of hir knees, even gave him hir feet. “You really aren't ticklish at all? That's so not fair.”

“Well, not exactly but very few people can actually get me. And no, I'm not telling.” Shi was only just biting hir lip.

“Hmm, what if I try to guess? Hot or cold?” He asked his hand on the small of hir back.

“Nope, not telling.”

“Oh yeah?” He watched hir face shrewdly looking for a tell. He knew that shi would crack, he just had to be patient.

“I'll give you one hint, your big meaty paws are going to be a hindrance.”

He considered that and tried hir ears, shi simply leaned into the rubbing like a cat. He lingered there simply because shi was so cute, then started running his fingertips down hir back.

“At least I enjoy holding you.” He said with a sigh, it was nice to see how far his hands would span over hir body. He caught a twitch and they both knew the jig was almost up. Shi was desperately trying to sit still, not to flinch. “I think that was right around here somewhere...” He was over hir lower ribs which was strange because he had tried those first. Shi relaxed by a modicom of a degree when he was proving similarly unsuccessful. “I know...” He poked hir and shi squeaked. “It's a pressure thing isn't it?”

“Eep!” was all shi managed before he dug his fingers under hir ribs and shi erupted into an unholy cacophony of shrieking cackles, writhing like a dying snake. It wasn't long before shi bugged off. “Very well. Now you know my darkest secret.” Shi muttered dramatically, still gasping for air. “Other problem is that it'll hurt after a little bit because you really gotta jam 'em up there good. Had a friend once who unerringly could poke the exact spot. Also, puppies licking my toes once. And no, it doesn't work when a person does it. Dunno why, I was a really ticklish kid once."

 _Trauma._ Guy didn't say. “That's too bad, I love making you laugh.”

“Just means that you gotta work harder for it.” Shi twisted around so that they were cuddling side by side again.

“Oh yeah... So... I don't know how long you intend to stay but like a month or so from now, I get my shore leave. I'd like to spend it with you, if you'd like?”

Shi shrugged. “I'll pretty much stay as long as you'll have me.”

“That's a dangerous promise to make.” Guy huffed.

“Oh?’ Shi raised an eyebrow.

“I don't think that there will come a time that I don't want to have you.”

Shi laughed a little bashfully, playing with strands of hir mane. “Well, like you said... Dangerous promises.”

“What if I wanted dangerous?” The words were out of his mouth before he could think the implications through.

Shi narrowed hir eyes, searching his gaze suspiciously. All he could feel was a burning anxiety in his gut. “We'll see.” Shi said finally, laying back a little more stiffly. He understood that it wasn't censure, shi was merely considering the implications. He got the feeling that shi didn't really trust yet that any of what they had was truly real to hir yet, even while the intensity of it was crushing him.

“What are you planning for your leave?” Shi asked instead, rolling over to be more warmly open to him, showing that there were no hard feelings.

“That's why I wanted to ask you, we could go just about anywhere, do practically anything. I want to do something fun for you.”

Shi giggled with an edge of nervousness. “I have been having plenty of fun so far.”

“Yeah, but I know that I get a bit stir crazy sometimes, so I may as well change the scenery up a bit.”

“I don't think that there's anywhere in particular that I've wanted to be... I... I honestly don't know what I want to do.... I.... I haven't exactly been allowed to want things... I still don't entirely believe that something awful won't happen. I don't... I can't... Plans. No. I just... Moment, all I can know.”

“Okay then, no pressure. You can think about it, I can leave an Atlas for you to flip through, maybe find some travel brochures.”

“Where do you want to go?” Shi asked fixated on his expression.

“I usually just go home... To Earth, I mean, this is also my home now. I don't have a whole lot back on Earth waiting for me. Some buddies, but usually everyone's too wrapped up in their own stuff to have much time for me.” He really tried not to sound bitter about it but it was the truth. Most people didn't like him, those who tolerated him only did so in carefully measured doses.

“I have nothing but time.” Shi smiled. “And there's nothing that I'd like quite as much as spending it with you.” Their hands were clasped over his chest and he kissed hir knuckles.

“That means a lot to me, even if it's not like you have much choice.”

Shi started cackling at that. “If I didn't want to be here, I'd already be gone.”

“Well that's ominous.” He remarked. 

Shi snorted. “I don't leave impulsively, you'd know if I were unhappy. My moods aren't subtle and you seem to be exceptionally well cued into them” Shi was looking at him speculatively, like shi was certain that shi was missing something.

He laughed. “Yeah... I mean... It's my job. To be able to read people. Before I was a Lantern I worked with a lot of people who had been through the kinds of things you have, and, obviously I've suffered a few things in my own time. So I'm really just applying skills I developed, I'm not trying to trick you or anything.”

“Hmm.” Shi scratched at the fluff of hir neck. “What do those tell you about me?”

“You're a survivor,” He was surprised that shi snorted at that. “Adaptable,” Shi nodded in acknowledgement of that at least. “I think that what you need more than anything is just... You need to believe that you deserve good things. I can only try to offer you the chance to reach out for what you want.”

“What if I never do? What if I just stay like this forever, unchanging, a mess.” Hir voice was flat and he sighed, knowing that this was something that he couldn't fix.

“Well, first things first, You will, because you already have, just in the very short time I've known you you've shown an amazing resilience and passion for life.”

Shi blinked, shaking hir head a little, looking about as baffled and vexed as if he had flicked hir nose.

“And even if you never wanted to leave this bed, I would still take care of you, for as long as you need me to, because you deserve to be happy. You deserve to be cared for by people who appreciate you. It's not just me, Everyone you've met so far absolutely loves you. You're a good person and I think that you have what it takes to be happy and I'll keep telling you until you believe it.” Shi was shaking and crying in his arms and he simply held hir.

Shi eventually fell asleep, but he wasn't going to let hir go for anything, he wanted hir to know, to feel that he was there for hir, even while shi wasn't conscious of it. He was reviewing curriculum in his head, trying to estimate what the minimum staff would be to establish a proper counseling system in their tiny city. He guessed that it was probably about twenty minutes or so before shi woke up, groggy and disoriented.

“Afternoon, sunshine.”

“I fell asleep? Why didn't you wake me up?” shi blinked, rubbing at hir eyes and scrunching up hir face.

“You need the rest. You're also adorable and mutter in your sleep.”

“Did I say anything weird?”

“No, no words, just the cutest little sounds.”

Shi rubbed hir face again but stayed pressed against his side.

“You want to go get some grub? Maybe check out the marketplace again? Watch the sunset?”

“Food sounds good.”

~

They ended up grabbing food from a vendor at the marketplace. He was right that it was a good time to watch the sunset, enjoyed how the light of golden hour turned hir grey fur russet. He bought hir a floppy wide brimmed hat shi had eyed before. Shi was even more adorable when trying hide hir face with it, too embarrassed of hir own overjoyed reaction, essentially dancing in place with excitement.

He took careful note of what things caught hir attention, preferred colors and patterns. The things that Shi did buy hirself were multiuse items, portable and durable. Shi was twitchy and he could understand. He still remembered what it was like when he'd first been able to spend money on non-essentials, not quite believing that he was allowed to. He did his best to let hir have space, but kept finding himself reaching for hir, holding hir, kissing hir. Shi didn't seem to object, hir anxiety mostly seemed to be generalized. He realized with a feeling of warmth spreading through his belly that shi seemed to find his presence a comfort, an anchor shi returned to whenever shi started to get too anxious. He smiled, thinking that he was basically acting as an emotional support animal to hir. He was just glad to be of service.

“Okay, I think that I'm ready to go home now.” Shi sighed, giving him a squeeze while resting hir head on his chest. Shi hadn't bought much, and there wasn't a lot that he'd picked out either.

“You seem exhausted, want me to carry you?” He offered.

Shi looked like shi was about to protest, lifted a foot off the ground, but then shi sighed, both feet on the ground and nodded, looking up to kiss him softly. Shi just fit so neatly in his arms, the straps of the bags hardly noticeable as they swayed with his easy strolling pace.

~

Shi spent a little bit of time alone in hir new room and Guy let her enjoy the privacy as he got ready to tend bar for the night. He didn't strictly have to. He didn't have to ever actually work a shift at all, but it made him feel better to be occupied, to socialize, to share camaraderie with others. He wondered if shi would be a part of the crowd today or stay in hir room in solitude.

He knocked on hir door before heading downstairs. Shi opened it without responding, looking up at him expectantly.

“I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be downstairs at the bar if you need anything. You're welcome to join me, or stay up here, whatever you feel best about. It should be a slow night so there probably won't be much of a crowd.” He rubbed his thumb over hir cheekbone, considering the curve of hir jaw below hir fingers. Obviously, shi was not a human, but it was still fascinating to him when he explored the ways shi was different. He was just grateful shi'd only ever bitten him playfully. From hir sharp teeth and powerful jaw, there was no doubt that shi could inflict real damage.

Shi nodded hir understanding and he ducked his head to leave her with a kiss.

“I'll see you tonight.” He reminded hir as he took a step back. Shi smiled and gave a tiny wave. He waved back and then turned to the staircase. He considered that tomorrow he'd have to talk to hir about moving his stuff out of hir room. He would probably just put the weights and files in his closet, let hir keep the desk. In the long run, he might need to set up a proper office for the bar. He thought about how at one point he regularly held parties that bled into his apartment from the bar, and while they'd always been wild fun, he found himself glad to have his space separate now.

He lost himself to the task of his work easily, let himself be wrapped up in the drama of other people's lives.

“Your girlfriend still not joining us?” Kyle asked, looking casual.

Guy felt his face heat and pushed down the reflex to bristle. Instead he shrugged. “Shi's still pretty worn out from settling in, a lot for hir to think about.”

“Huh, just think that it's kind of odd that shi was such a party animal before but has been so reclusive since.”

Guy felt guarded, something seeming off. He huffed. “Well, shi was plenty shy when shi walked in and after the amount of alcohol shi put away first, anyone would become the life of the party.”

Kyle nodded and dropped the subject. Guy went back to his work and made a note to look into the dumb computer case. It was absurd to him to think that they were expecting hir to be some kind of petty, or, even more laughably, incredibly professional, criminal. He could tell that shi was a lot of things, but shi had an awful poker face and an anxiety so overwhelming shi could barely get out of bed. 

It was a goddamn miracle that G'nort had managed to drag hir into the bar in the first place and he was still astonished with the bravery it had taken for hir to survive only what he knew that shi had suffered. Certainly such trauma victims often turned to crime, Hell he'd been one of them once, but it was often only under duress. He was pretty sure that shi didn't even know anyone who cared enough about hir to wield that much power over hir.

He was just glad that shi was letting him help. Shi didn't really trust him yet, but he was amazed that shi was at all, much less the extent. There was a long way for hir to go to make a significant recovery for all that had been done to hir, but every step forward was one of immense significance.

It was like his heart lit up before he even saw hir, he looked up just in time to see hir enter the room. He smiled and shi waved shyly. While walking towards the bar a few others shouted greetings and shi ducked hir head bashfully but waved back a little more stiffly.

“Hey darling, what'll it be tonight?” He asked when Shi sat down and sprawled across the counter of the bar, clearly not intending to go anywhere any time soon.

“Surprise me.” Shi muttered, sounding tired. Sure enough, he caught hir yawning as he considered what to mix up for hir. The other bar patrons let hir have space, but clearly many of them were curious. Guy wondered what time it was, they would probably close up pretty early tonight. He set hir drink in front of hir and watched, waiting to see how shi liked it. He liked how shi always moved in long fluid lines, at least while shi was relaxed. Shi picked hir head up off the bar by rolling hir long neck up as shi twisted hir shoulders forward. Shi didn't sit up straight, instead looming over hir drink. Shi gave it a sniff, then a lick before picking up the glass. Shi took a sip, and then a gulp. Shi sat it back down with a grin. “That's really good.”

He grinned and crossed his arms over his chest. “Of course it is, I made it just for you.” Inwardly he was delighted that shi enjoyed it. He didn't really want to get hir drunk, but he knew that shi liked hir drinks stronger than they were sweet. It was sometimes a difficult balance to achieve, especially when mixing for someone else.

Shi grinned back.

“Yo, bartender!” Someone shouted at the other end of the bar and he was embarrassed that he'd probably been just standing there staring back at hir for a bit. He leaned forward to give hir a peck on the lips before heading over to where he knew he was about to be teased about being a softie, but honestly he loved it. He loved hir.

Eventually shi had some company but seemed pretty ambivalent. Shi didn't seem distressed, but he was going to keep an eye on hir just in case. For now it was a few of the younger cadets, shi seemed to be listening to people's stories about their home worlds and telling of improbable sounding adventures shi had experienced in hir travels. He tried to balance his attention but everyone seemed to know that he was distracted. Shi caught his eye frequently and he often blew hir kisses or winked when shi did.

He was glad that shi didn't seem to be drinking very hard, sipping slowly. It was good that shi felt secure enough to casually socialize.

When there was only a handful of people left in the bar he went to the back and started stacking chairs on the tables. K'yara watched him from the bar. Shi looked like shi was expecting him to ask hir to help, but he knew that shi was tired enough already. By the time he came to get the broom out of the closet, everyone else was gone. He stopped to put an arm around hir shoulders and a deep kiss.

“Thanks for waiting for me, baby.”

Shi shrugged nonchalantly but could tell that the praise excited hir. He rubbed his hand over hir fluffy hair in passing and then he started sweeping, from the back forward. Shi seemed to enjoy watching him move, it seemed like it should be painfully boring but hir attention didn't waver. Occasionally he wiggled his hips or brandished a bicep to let hir know that he appreciated the attention.

“I should take you to the gym some time and show you my routine.” He teased as he headed to put the broom away.

“Is there a pool?” Shi asked.

“You like swimming?”

Shi nodded excitedly. “I'm not like, good at it and I'm hella out of shape, but I really like swimming.”

“Well then, I guess we're going swimming. Is tomorrow good for you? I usually do my workout in the morning, but I can wait for after my shift is over since I know that you like to sleep in.”

“Tomorrow sounds good... I need swimwear though, unless it isn't necessary.”

“We can pick something up for you tomorrow after I come home to pick you up.”

“So, if you're skipping your morning workout, does that mean that you might stay in bed longer?” Shi asked impishly.

He smirked. “I guess that we'll just have to see what happens.” He walked over to stand in front of hir on the barstool, which shi was sitting on backwards, elbows on the counter. He leaned in to kiss hir first, and he set his hands on the edge of the bar beside hir. Shi put hir arms over his shoulders and played with his hair. He was just as fascinated with the wildly different lengths of hir fur. In some places shi was completely bare, in others hir fur was so thick that it completely obscured the shape of hir. Especially when shi was worked up and the longest fur along hir back would stand up on end.

He put his hands on hir hips and picked hir up neatly. Shi yelped and clutched him tighter. “Take it easy, I've got you, babe.”

Shi grumbled. “I told you before, I don't like feeling like I could fall.”

“I can put you back down.”

“Don't you dare. Just, put your arms around me, so I don't feel like my ass is dangling into the unknown.”

“You sure this won't do the trick?” Hir grip on him was unwavering as he moved his hands to instead cup hir ass.

He felt hir face heat against his neck. “You love being such a macho show off.”

“And you love it too.”

Shi huffed. “Yeah, I really do.”

“So, will my hands make a sufficient chair?”

“Not if we're going anywhere.”

“That's fair enough.” He slung one arm all the way under hir ass and the other along hir back. “Better?”

“Much.” Shi sighed peaceably, hir grip relaxing. He walked with an easy swagger, not wanting hir to sway too harshly. Shi seemed to be enjoying his closeness. He certainly enjoyed the way shi felt cradled to his chest. 

He set hir on the bed with a sigh, kissing hir quickly a few times before stripping out of his clothes. He'd pulled his shirt up to his shoulders and realized that he could make a show of it. He heard hir snort with amusement when he started to shimmy. He turned and waved his ass back and forth, jumping when shi slapped it.

“Well, I guess that this club doesn't exactly have a ‘no touching’ rule.” He laughed, tossing his shirt into the hamper. Shi put hir hands on his flanks as he started to work his jeans down his hips. “I feel like I need to put some music on while I'm doing this.”

“I don't think that you're wearing enough clothes for this to last that long.” Shi teased, running a finger up his spine. For sure, he was down to his jeans and socks. Shi nipped his ass when he needed to bend over to get the tight denim over his calves.

“Careful, I could have fallen.” He replied with an affected nasal whine.

Shi planted a kiss on the spot instead, then swiped hir tongue over it.

“You keep that up and I'll sit on your face.” He said with as much sincerity as such a phrase could muster.

“Maybe later.” Shi replied, which was not exactly the response that he was expecting.

“Fuck!” He yelped when shi licked over his taint without warning. He straightened up and worked the jeans the rest of the way off with his feet. “You're awfully frisky tonight.” He said as he turned around to see hir already naked and sitting spread eagle in the edge of the bed.

Shi chuckled. “As far as you know I'm frisky every night.”

“That is indeed true.” He nodded. “What do you prefer for tonight's friskiness?”

Shi looked back and forth like shi was about to say something risky, but bit hir tongue. “I think that I should just show you.”

“Alright.”

Shi rolled over and got on hir knees. “Just go hard and finish without stopping.” Hir mane was prickling with excitement, but shi was hiding hir face in hir arms.

“Well, if you insist.” He shrugged, but of course shi couldn't see it. Shi shuddered as soon as he ran his hands down hir back. He fingered hir gently just to be sure that shi was wet enough. He still guided himself into hir slowly, took a few practice thrusts to get his footing right. “Alright babe, are you sure you're ready for this? Do you have a safeword or a tap out signal you can use?”

Shi was quiet a moment before responding, raising hir head and looking back at him, perfectly flushed. Shi opened hir hand and slapped it flat on the bed twice. Since shi tended to clench hir fists and, well, everything else, during sex, it would be a good sign to him that he'd probably stop before shi even finished opening hir hand if it came to that.

“Okay, make yourself comfortable and hold on tight.” It took a bit to get his momentum just right, but he was huffing, grunting and sweating quickly, shi shrieked and howled like a banshee but hir face was the very picture of fucked out bliss. Though shi had tried to push back and keep up with him at first, shi was slowly going limp, just letting him use hir body as he pleased. 

He saw stars as he came, chest heaving, gasping for air, shaking as shi convulsed around him with faster pulsations than normal, his skin tingling all over. Shi was shivering and huffed little squeaks and moans with every breath even though he had mostly stopped moving. He locked his knees so that they wouldn't shake, leaning back and putting his hands on hir ass. Shi was so very hot and he was rapidly starting to feel overstimulated.

He pulled out slowly, groaning, both from the overwhelming sensation and the sight of his cum smeared sticky and splashed around hir pussy, clinging to the sparse hairs of hir delicate areas and his own.

“God, you're amazing.” He sighed, laying down next to hir. Shi blinked, grunted, mouth still open, tongue lolling as shi panted, ass still up in the air and tail hanging like a flag. “You okay there?” He asked.

“Uh huh.”

“Do you need help?”

“Nah... I'm good... Great... Fantastic.” Shi flopped over onto hir side and reached out hir hand. Shi wrapped hir pinky around his. He smiled at how shi could be such a wild combination of adorable and ravishing at the same time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is so much I'm working through with this fic, living out fantasies in a safe environment so to speak, it's unlikely that I'm going to find someone to play Guy's part in my life, but at least I can start to try to picture what being loved should look like rather than lowering my expectations and settling for whatever I can get.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some fun at the swimming pool and then a surprise ending (it's not a surprise for any of my fics)

Shi was slow to rouse when he woke up in the morning. His body was still buzzing from the night before, he was sure shi must be sore as well. He would direct hir to do some stretches later. He was going to let hir sleep, but he didn't want to get out of bed and he also didn't feel like staring at the ceiling for an hour.

He glanced at the haphazard stack of comics sitting on the nightstand, but he didn't want to disturb hir by pulling away, much less crawling over to them and back. He decided to focus on hir, delicately petting hir face and running his fingers through hir fur, the long strands of hair curling around them. He guessed that twenty minutes must have passed like that before he accepted that shi wasn't going to wake up and eased himself out of bed.

He did his basic hygiene routine, willed his uniform on and ate a quick breakfast. He stopped back upstairs with still more time to kill so he just read a comic. It was close enough to go time when he finished it and he sighed as he rolled out of bed. He brushed his hand over hir face and left hir with a kiss on the cheek.

He was quickly realizing how critical his morning exercise routine really was to his day. Everything was harder than usual to focus on and he couldn't sit still or stop fidgeting for the life of him. People noticed. A few asked about it and he explained, but he knew that he was literally bouncing with a near manic energy.

About halfway through the day he remembered that he wanted to look at the files for the open cases. He wasn't surprised that Killowog and Kyle were working the computer case together. He understood that they had to be thorough, do their due diligence, but the suspicion still irritated him. It almost felt like a slight of his own capabilities. 

The only other bit of data relevant was G'nort's incident report from when he'd brought hir in, but he already knew the details and confirmed that it didn't indicate that shi was under suspicion or implicated in anything when shi arrived. But since the computer case was still open, he wasn't privy to the details. Obviously they didn't have any conclusive proof to keep hir under suspicion, but he did wonder what kind of circumstantial evidence they must have collected to prod him about hir twice. Kyle had spoken to hir the night before and Guy hoped that meant that they took hir off the list of primary suspects.

The day dragged on for him, the last few hours seeming to take an eternity and his impatience made him snappish, which made everyone irritated with him in turn. He couldn't get out of the building fast enough when the final seconds of his shift clicked over. He simply leapt out the window and flew home, landing on his balcony.

K'yara wasn't in his room, much less his bed so he knocked on the door to the study. When he heard no response he headed down the stairs. He had to laugh watching hir head whip around in surprise, fur bottlebrushing.

“Sorry sweetheart, didn't mean to startle you.”

Shi grumbled something unintelligible and started trying to pat down hir mane. He sat on the barstool next to hir and helped stroke hir fur until it lay flat.

“You ready to go?”

Shi nodded. “I was waiting.”

“Yeah, usually I walk home but I was too excited today.”

Shi grunted and shrugged, sliding off hir stool while he stood. He offered his arm and she wrapped hir hands around it, pressing hir head against his shoulder.

It took a little bit before they located the right kind of booth in the market place. He stood to the side, watching as shi poked through wildly bright patterns and colors. He enjoyed watching hir expressions shift, the low muttering to hirself as shi considered the merits and flaws of each potential piece of swimwear. Eventually shi settled on an incongruous combination of a neon floral pattern and blue stripes.

He knew that he'd see hir new swimsuit soon enough but he was still disappointed that shi hadn't been trying them on for him to admire. He tried not to be too put out about it, after all, shi was still very shy and not quite as eager to be an exhibitionist as he was. Shi was readily attentive when he brought hir to the weight room and explained that although he could handle his weights, shi would still be his spotter. He started first by showing hir how to do some stretches, which shi complained about.

“Trust me, it will hurt a lot worse if you pull something while swimming, you did say it had been awhile.” He explained.

Shi grumbled and grimaced while holding the stretch. Hir mood improved greatly when he moved on to his own routine. It was so automatic he hardly noticed anything else, floating on pure muscle memory. Shi watched with naked admiration as he did his reps and then jogged on the treadmill to cool down. 

He explained the various reasons and mechanics of his specific exercises as he went but he could tell shi wasn't really listening, hir eyes drawn to the sweat rolling over his body instead. He toweled off the worst of it as they headed to the pool area, showing hir where to stow hir things, change and pre-rinse before doing the same. He managed a couple of leisurely laps before shi came out to join him. Hir outfit worked surprisingly well, the hot pink floral tank top above the black and blue shorts looked a bit like a spectacular sunset over the ocean in a vintage postcard.

Shi waded in before stretching out and swimming in a particularly odd fashion, almost a doggy paddle, almost a breaststroke and powered mostly with powerful kicks. After shi apparently felt comfortable feeling out the water, shi surprised him by rolling like an otter until shi stood up, dizzy and giggling.

“I think that might have been the most adorable thing I've seen you do yet.” He commented. He wasn't sure if he should ask if shi knew any actual swimming styles, when shi rolled over and started to backstroke away with a practiced ease.

It was interesting watching hir in the water, how hir fur bloomed around hir like a flame, wavering with the currents. He also was able to see the shape of hir far more clearly. Any time shi emerged at least partially, the saturated fur slicked to hir form. He was fascinated by the true shape of hir jaw, while dry and fluffy, the ruff of hir neck hid the powerful jaw muscles behind the part of hir face that looked so deceptively human. He was glad that shi had never bitten him hard enough to mean business, he got the distinct impression once again that shi could do serious damage with hir jaws.

It was odd to think of hir in comparison to G'nort. Guy wasn't sure if it was sexual dimorphism or if K'yara was from a different race of their people, the way there were different breeds of dog. He noticed for the first time that shi had five fingered hands, unlike G'nort's four fingered. Guy frowned, that was usually a fairly strange variance in a species, but he didn't have enough of a knowledge to compare it to. The difference in their fur, in texture, lengths, colors and patterns were also very distinct. He wasn't sure exactly why this was bothering him or what he was hoping to find by looking up G'newtians later, but he was getting the nagging feeling that he was missing something right in front of his face. Maybe he was just paranoid after reading the reports earlier.

Shi came floating back around, leisurely stroking an arm here or there, legs doing tiny little kicks.

“Having a good time?” He asked.

“Yeah.” Shi sounded like it, voice relaxed and happy. The only other times shi really sounded like this was immediately after a good fuck. He was somewhat troubled by the fact that they hadn't shared much else, but there was only so much that could be communicated between two people. He felt like they had shared something uniquely special to them in understanding the effects of trauma. He was trying to do for hir what he had wished someone had done for him.

He swam a couple more laps while shi continued to meander back and forth. Shi did flips and rolls, practiced holding hir breath, all the things that people did to have fun with water. He realized that they hadn't bathed together yet, shi hadn't asked and he hadn't offered, assuming that shi wanted space. He swam over beside hir and smiled. Hir eyes lit up and he had just enough warning to recognize hir grin turn devilish before shi kicked water into his face.

“Oh yeah?” He sputtered, returning the splashing as they thrashed in the water, giggling and sending up waves. He moved close and grabbed hir, picking hir up only to drop hir into the water. Shi squealed and squirmed in all ways perfectly adorable. Shi finally went back to simply floating, panting heavily and whined.

“I think that's enough for today, I'm starting to hurt.”

“I did warn you, at least you did your stretching though.”

Shi blew a raspberry, drifting back to the stairs.

It really was something else to see hir step out of the water, fur slicked flat along hir curvy body. For a moment he thought that shi was about to flip hir hair like a movie, but instead it was a full body shaking and he laughed. Shi looked just like an animal after getting out of the bath. Hir fur stuck up even more humorously puffed up than it did when shi was dry and startled.

Then shi started sluicing water off hirself, before shaking again in smaller bits. Eventually shi considered hirself dry enough for the towels. He wandered over to dab himself off and give hir a hand. With all that fur, it would be awhile before shi was completely dry again. It felt good ruffling hir fur with the towel and shi seemed particularly delighted by the experience.

They changed back into their casual clothes in different stalls. Guy was concerned by hir trembling when they reunited, he immediately, put his hands on hir shoulders to steady hir.

“Okay, you were right, I overdid it.” Shi whined, looking incredibly chagrined about the fact.

“Do you want me to carry you?” He asked, more worried about the pain shi was in than being right about it.

“Please.” Shi swooned into his arms dramatically and he laughed, one arm behind hir shoulders, then dipping down to swoop up hir knees.

“So I got no problem walking, but, I know you weren't keen on the idea, but it really would be easier if I flew.” He lead cautiously. Shi chewed hir lip as shi thought it over.

“You won't drop me?”

“Never. If for whatever reason we do fall I'll cushion your landing myself.”

Shi thought it over another moment before nodding. “Okay. Okay.”

He kicked off from the landing with an easy hover, not wanting to go too fast. Shi alternated between watching him and squeezing hir eyes closed. He varied his pace depending on hir response, accelerating when shi wasn't watching, slowing when shi was, and keeping a steady amount of inertia.

“We're here.” He roused hir softly as his feet touched down on the balcony.

Shi blinked and set hir own feet down less steadily. He kept an arm at hir back in case shi couldn't stand. Shi took two wobbling steps and then flopped onto the bed face first with a groan. He laughed and took their wet swimsuits to hang in the shower to dry, then took a seat next to hir.

“How would you like a rub down? Should help a bit with all those aches and pains.” He offered.

“Please.” Shi mumbled into the duvet.

He moved to sit over hir, careful that he wasn't weighing hir down, and started his massage by rubbing behind hir ears. He couldn't help but continue to marvel at the subtle differences between hir anatomy and that of a human's. The base of hir skull was located further back and he could feel the attachment points of the powerful muscles of hir jaw. Hir neck was long, vertebrae larger. 

He was mildly surprised to realize how rounded hir ribcage was, not nearly so narrow as a human's. The way hir fur grew only enhanced the effect. There was a lot of tension in hir shoulders, which he'd expected. They were rolled forward further than he thought that they should be, even for hir own physiology, but that wasn't the sort of thing that a single massage could do much about. He wasn't as sure about the arches of hir spine, some curvature of the neck was expected, and especially as a different species hir posture would be different. 

Part of it was bone structure, the higher crest of hir upper back, anchoring hir head, neck and forelimbs. Hir lumbar region had less curve, was heavier and seemed more stiff than a humans, but again, he wasn't sure if that was pathological. Things got really interesting as he explored the connections of hir tail, spine and hips. Hir ass was a very rounded shape, but he really had to dig into the meat of hir to work out the tension, soothing hir twitches and yelps.

“You're gonna need a lot of work, sweetheart. It feels like you've been swatted with a folding chair back here.”

Shi grunted. He wondered about the possibility that something very like that may have happened to hir.

“I think that's as much as I can do for you for now. I think that if you keep doing those stretches and getting out a lot you'll feel a lot better. All of that felt like you're in a lot of pain.”

“'M used to it.”

“Yeah but you shouldn't be, you should be able to enjoy daily life without feeling like there's daggers in your back.”

“I wouldn't know any different.”

He sighed. “You will.” He promised, picking up hir limp hand to kiss hir knuckles.

“Sounds fake but okay.”

“I'm going to go get something to eat, I don't know about you but I am starving. You want anything in particular?”

Shi shrugged weakly. “Surprise me.”

~

Shi was more lively when he got back, it had taken a little longer than usual since the restaurant was in the middle of the dinner rush. Shi was kneeling by his DVD collection poking through the different titles and trying to make sense of them based solely on the covers.

“What are you thinking?” He asked, holding onto a large order of fries noodles.

Shi held up a yellow case. “This one has another orange man on it.”

Guy laughed at that, amused that apparently despite what experiences shi had with humans in the past, apparently shi had never encountered a redhead before. “Yeah I haven't watched that one yet, came in new with the last swap. S'posda be funny so why not?”

They sat with some pillows on the floor to avoid getting food on the bed, which turned out to be a good idea when the movie had both of them spitting with laughter at the sheer ridiculousness of it. He wasn't sure if it was necessarily a good example of Earth culture, but shi was enjoying hirself and that was the important thing. They cleaned up after the movie and Guy picked the next one, another newer film, this a heist movie.

They snuggled up in bed, but Guy very quickly found that it was really difficult to concentrate on the movie while hir fingers were stroking the inside of his thigh.

“You sure about that?” He murmured against hir neck. “Aren't you still pretty sore?”

“Well, yeah, but you aren't.” Shi retorted.

Guy heaved an exaggerated, put-upon sigh and turned the TV off. “If I fuck you senseless, then will you let me watch a movie in peace?”

Shi smirked. “No promises.”

“You are wicked.” He scolded, stepping out of his jeans. Shi merely giggled, always eager to feast hir eyes upon him, and hell if that wasn't an ego boost, not that anyone else thought that he needed it.

“So what'll be your pleasure today, hmm? Any particular way you want me to rail you six ways til Sunday? Fuck you down into the mattress?” He crawled into the bed next to hir where shi was giggling but still tragically clothed. He slipped his hand up under hir shirt and started to rub hir belly, fluffing the fur. The length differences were particularly notable there.

Shi chewed hir lip with anticipation. He kissed hir to give hir something else to focus on. Shi let out a shuddering breath and twined hir fingers into his hair. He groaned as shi tugged gently, testing him. Shi bit down on his lip with similar consideration. He kissed hir nose when they broke apart. Shi seemed almost shy as shi wiggled out of hir shirt, which seemed silly considering how many times they had gone at it already. He moved his hand back down and shi responded by arching hir back with a gasp. Shi had significantly more trouble wiggling out of hir pants, hips bucking up into his hand as his fingers played.

“You still haven't answered me sweetheart.” He goaded, admiring how shi was already totally disheveled.

“Mmm, hard, but not too hard.” Shi bit hir knuckle.

“So a little bit of that medium rare, eh?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm, well, I think that I can manage that.” He got back up to his feet and tugged hir by the ankles to the edge of the bed. “Let's see, how do I want you laid out, you're such a pretty sight.” He pressed one knee to the side and knelt between them, shi was starting to squirm. “Yeah, I think that this'll do.” He took hir other ankle and put it up on his shoulder. Hir mouth popped into an o. “That work for you?”

Shi nodded, knees quivering. He did enjoy how shi looked spread open and waiting. His mouth watered. It was hard not to feel a little impressed as he rubbed against hir wet slit, the apparent disconnect between the size of his girth next to hir narrow little cleft. Just watching the lips of hir pussy part around him, the stickiness shared and trailing between them. Shi always got so eager at this stage, so desperate for him to fill hir, while he was just awestruck by the way shi swallowed him up and begged for more.

“You're insatiable.” He growled, enjoying the fact that shi was struggling to find purchase and work harder, but he held hir right where he wanted hir. Hir hands were clenching and grasping at nothing. Shi alternated between gritting hir jaw and licking hir maw, making all the lovely little sounds that Guy was working out of hir.

He groaned as he picked up the pace, the sloppy noises of them coming together echoing around the room. Shi inevitably wound up wrapping hir legs around him, urging him on by digging in hir heels. His hands were around hir waist, he was starting to twitch with nearness when shi started trying to speak.

“You should, can you, ring?” Shi gestured to hir throat.

“Fuck! Yeah, yeah, babe I can.” It wasn't often he got the opportunity to use his ring for intimate activities, so every chance he got was a novel experience. He wrapped the energy around hir neck carefully, not wanting to lose his momentum but needing to concentrate on building the construct. Shi came quickly after that and it was a relief for him to follow, emptying himself into hir. He didn't want to move as his shudders subsided, releasing the construct.

Shi was panting, glassy eyed and contented. He was proud of another job well done and with a sigh, pulled out to flop down next to hir again as his heartbeat evened out. He was only winded, but he was definitely not as young as he used to be. He wondered again about hir age, what frame of reference they could find to compare. If shi even knew hirself. Shi had been through a lot and such things tended to warp one’s perception of time. Shi seemed to be closer to his age, but trauma forced people to mature in imbalanced ways.

“Will you get me a collar?” Shi asked softly, eyes beseeching.

He nearly said yes without thinking it through, eager to do anything shi asked if him, but then remembered the context for where shi'd come from. “Why do you want a collar?”

“I want to belong to you.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but I can't do that. I need you to know that you're free, I don't want you to feel obligated to me just because I'm one of the first people to be good to you.”

Shi snorted bitterly and he felt bad at the wetness around hir eyes as shi squeezed them shut, jaw grating. “But I don't want to go anywhere else.”

“And I appreciate that, I do, I really, really do. I wish I could take that kind of responsibility for you but I can't, it wouldn't be right for me to take any kind of permanent claim over you while you're still getting stable. I'm here for you, and I always will be, but I need to know that you know that you don't need me.”

Shi looked thoughtful, ear twitching with irritation. “I just... I want to feel like I'm worth something.”

“You are, you're so wonderful, I am tearing myself apart trying to keep from being a selfish ass and keeping you all to myself, but I know that I can't make the calls for what's right for you, you have to figure that out on your own.”

Shi sighed. “I don't even know where to start. All I know is that I like being here with you.”

“And that's okay for now. You don't need to stress yourself out about it, just take things at their own pace and do what feels right to you.”

“But I want a collar.”

He put his hand over his face. “I really can't.”

“Why?”

He groaned. “It is really frowned upon to put a collar on another sapient being. I don't think anyone I know would approve of it if I put a collar on you, even if it's what you're asking for.”

“So it's about what other people would think?”

“No, it's about what I would think of myself. I worry that I'm taking advantage of your situation. That's why I tried to get you your own place and maybe I shouldn't be involved with you at all because I can't be your counselor and your friend with benefits.”

“You worry about me too much.” Shi muttered.

“Yeah. I do. I've fucked up a lot. I am trying not to fuck things up worse for you. I know that you've been through a lot, you're going to be vulnerable to a lot of bullshit and especially a lot of my brand of bullshit and I want to be better than that but...”

Shi put a hand on his arm. “But you are. The fact that you are so worried about the impact of your actions alone shows that you care, genuinely. I don't think that you've been nearly as selfish as you think you are, except maybe that I think that you're blaming yourself for decisions that I'm making. I know that you are concerned with my issues, I appreciate that you want to help, but I got this far on my own and I am not here because I need your help. I'm here because I like you, I like staying with you and until I decide otherwise, you should accept that I can make my own choices.”

He looked at hir with wonder then let his head fall to the bed. “I'm an idiot. I managed to get too wrapped up in my own self-obsession to realize that I wasn't treating you fairly.”

“Yeah, you have. You should talk to me about these things when they're bugging you. I know more about this than you seem to think I do.”

He sighed. “I just want to do the right thing, but I don't always know what that is.”

Shi laughed. “Oh, none of us do, we're all just making it up as we go. You don't have to take responsibility for me, I can take care of myself. I appreciate your help though, you do help me take better care of myself than I would alone.”

He smiled at that. “Thanks for letting me.”

Shi laughed again snuggling close. “Oh yes, because it's such a chore to be doted on and spoiled.”

“Should I back off on that a little?”

“Don't you dare. If I have a problem with something, I will tell you. If I didn't enjoy this, appreciate all you've done, want to be here, I would already be gone. There's plenty of freighter crews who come through here I could hitch a ride with. Yeah, I'm scared and I'm anxious and this is a new place and a new sort of life for me and that's terrifying but I have made it through so much worse. This is a cakewalk. This is a vacation from the entire life I've lived, I can hardly believe that it's real and I'm terrified that I'm going to wake up and find out that it's all been a dream.”

“Huh... I should stop underestimating you.”

“Please. For as much as you object to my desire for a symbolic object of my devotion, you really do seem to concern yourself overmuch with what I'm doing.”

“Yeah...” He considered it. “You know, I think that this is the most you've spoken to me in one go.”

“It's because I am starting to feel safe with you. I know that you don't want to and are afraid to hurt me. That means that I'm going to get pushier just to see what I can get away with. I'm testing our boundaries.”

“Do you want to talk about that? Boundaries?”

“Is this the 'what are we?’ talk?”

“Is it?”

“I... I don't know what you want from me, to be honest. I could... It's easy to be a pet, I make a very good pet but... I don't have a whole lot of experience in how to be a person.”

“Yeah, that's hard. I feel like all I am is my work anymore and I'm starting to get stir crazy. Taking a break on Earth will probably help. If you still want to go? It's usually three or six month rotations. I usually take the shorter ones and trade the others because they all have more attachments than I do. I think that it's been like a year since I went down for a full stay, just dropped in a couple of times with the supply shuttles.” He was quiet a beat. “Speaking of, if you come down to Earth with me and decide that you don't like it, you can catch the next shuttle back sooner.”

“That's good to know.”

“So... Do we want to have the ‘what are we?’ talk?”

Shi groaned. “I hate putting labels on things... Traditionally I agree to things and then the other party completely rewrites the rules without telling me and then I suffer the consequences.”

“Jesus...” Guy swore. “I... Okay. So. We... We like being together. You have your own space, your own income. You can go anywhere you want, do anything you want. What do you want from me?”

“I mean, I'm really happy with what we have so far.” Shi shrugged, but was clearly nervous.

“Okay, so we like how things have been going, we'll keep that as it is. Remember that you can talk about this at any time to tell me if anything isn't working for you.” He rubbed his face. “So... I think the next question is... Do... Do you want to be exclusive with me? I mean I know that things took a bad turn with G'nort but if you wanted to be involved with someone else, as things stand, I won't stand in your way. I won't necessarily like it and I can't promise that I won't be an ass about it because my best intentions don't always win out in the moment.”

Shi considered this. “So you are saying... If I agree, we agree that we will only have sex with each other?”

“Yeah, that's how that works usually.” His heart was pounding and guts clenched, even though he knew that this was a positive step.

“Well, I don't usually have sex with new people... You were the first in... Years...”

“Speaking of years, how old are you? It's been bugging me but I didn't know if we have a compatible frame of reference for time.”

“Well, I know that standard galactic time is a little different from Earth time, and it's different from what I grew up with but... I think that I'm at least over thirty. I might be off by a couple of years not sure if mid or late, could be early.. My backwater didn't get standardized and there isn't really much of a record for me to compare it to, and my first years out of that system .... Well, it was a chaotic time for me.”

“Yeah, I'd imagine." He shrugged. "I'm 47.”

Shi nodded and relaxed against him. He gave hir a squeeze and shi returned it. It just felt good to lay together with everything said.

~

The next couple of days passed in a bit of a blur, Guy was pulled out on a couple of longer missions. He still did his job but couldn't help wondering how shi was faring in his absence. Someone would have told hir where he was so shi wouldn't be totally caught off guard but he had no idea how well shi would cope with his sudden absence when he'd been the one constant in hir life so far.

He realized quickly that he needn't have worried. Shi was tending bar with one of his other servers and seemed to be doing a damn fine job of it. Shi looked up from drying a glass and squealed when shi saw him, putting down the glass before hurrying to meet him. He caught hir easily in his arms and was glad just to hold hir, ignoring the whoops and catcalls that erupted from their audience. He set hir down so he could kiss hir properly and considered what to do next. He looked at hir, looked at the crowd, knew that he should help out with the bar, but instead, he hefted hir into his arms and headed upstairs. 

As soon as shi landed on the bed shi rolled over onto hir knees and shoved hir ass in the air, tail high and pants pulled down. Guy chuckled as he made his uniform vanish and did his best to prepare in a hurry, he knew how demanding shi could be. As he settled against hir back and ran his hand over hir belly, he was surprised when shi shuddered.

“Oh?” He kneaded at hir breasts.

“They've been sensitive.” Shi gasped.

“Is that so?” He crooned, teasing at hir teats as shi whined and bucked back against him.

They weren't very graceful or artistic about their joining this time, just a quick bout to release the stress of their time apart. Still they were both panting and giddy with excitement when he finally rolled over and pulled hir close to his chest, kissing at hir face.

Shi ran a hand up to his jaw and he realized as shi scratched over it that he hadn't shaved in a few days. “I like this.” Shi purred.

“Really? I think that my stubble makes me look like a hobo.” 

Shi rolled over in his arms to take a closer look at his face, trailing hir fingertips over his features, occasionally grazing him ever so softly with hir claws. “I think that it makes you look more serious.” Shi decided.

“Well, I only ever had the beard once and it was because I was kinda isolated from my regular routine... Lost a lot of weight then too...”

“Do you have any pictures?” Shi asked hopefully.

“I'll have to look, it wasn't exactly my proudest moment. Got a shave and a haircut first chance I got back to civilization.” He ran a hand through his hair thoughtfully. He'd just assumed that he was better looking clean cut, maybe because all the times he'd left off shaving had been during deep bouts of self destructive depression.

“So, you're working at the bar?” He asked finally.

“Yeah... I got bored sitting around up here, met some of the staff and started helping out. It's been good getting to know people, especially with the bar between me and the crowd.”

“Yeah, I know that feeling, and like, you know who's behind you.”

“Yeah! And if I get uncomfortable I can just move to do something else?”

“God you're so clever. I probably shouldn't have been worried about you, huh?”

“I appreciate the thought. I really did miss you, I was worried about you too, Lantern business can be dangerous stuff.”

“Yeah, it can be, but don't you know, I'm the best there is.” He bragged. Shi laughed and kissed him.

“I know.”

~

“So you added my girlfriend to the payroll?” Guy asked his manager after coming back down to grab a meal.

She winked. “Had to do something with hir, shi was moping something fierce. I joked that shi could help out by cleaning the ovens and fuck if shi didn't just jump right on that. Shi's a real hard worker, just has trouble concentrating and dealing with too many things at once. I'm surprised shi does as well at the bar as shi does, but I think that's mostly charisma. Shi's so cute anyone forgives hir mistakes.”

“I'm glad to hear that shi's been fitting in.”

“Without you, you mean.”

“Well, yeah.”

“Guy, I know that you have your whole identity based around being a hero, but remember that other people can save themselves sometimes. I know that you Lanterns don't like to hear it but not everything that happens requires your supervision.”

“Ouch, why don't you tell me what you really think?”

“If you break hir heart I'm making hir my girlfriend.”

He laughed. “I'll keep that in mind.”

“Here's your food, dumbass, try to make some time to come back down here and help with the work since I am now down two servers and have to keep bar and run orders to the restaurant while you two are canoodling.”

“Alright, alright, we'll get to work after we eat.”

~

It went pretty well like that for awhile, as shi became more comfortable coming into hir own and living hir own life while he spent more time focusing on his work and looking after hir only the necessary amount. They didn't quite fuck as much but it didn't seem to bother hir too overmuch. He was honestly glad for the break, as shi had been rather demanding.

So he was at ease when he came home one evening to find hir discussing something that seemed serious with his bar manager.

“Should I be jealous?” He asked playfully.

“Ha!” Abby turned and walked to the restaurant side. “This is all on you.”

Guy was suddenly very uncomfortable because K'yara wasn't looking at him. It had been awhile since he'd seen hir take this stance, limbs turned in, head down.

“Hey, hon, what is it?” He put a hand on hir shoulder.

“Sooo... You know how I said that I wasn't compatible with humans.... I... I guess that you're an exception.”

“Wh- wait, What does that mean?” His voice jumped an octave.

“Guy, I'm pregnant.” Shi looked up at him with teary eyes and his brain completely skidded to a halt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the part where we know this is one of my fics.
> 
> I've had a really good time writing this and all the research I've had to do to make something coherent out of 50 years of comics. I still have a few more scenes I need to write for the last couple of chapters and like always I've ended up with plot bunnies for further adventures with these two


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After handling the news of his incipient Fatherhood, Guy takes K'yara back to Earth to meet some of his friends and then gets another surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my favorite chapter. My fancast for Kara is Gwendoline Christie.

“So. Yeah. It happened. I don't know how, other humans have tried but...” K'yara still seemed sheepish.

“Fuck!” Guy slapped his forehead. “I’m a fuckin' God damned, Grade A _Moron!_ Shit! This is all my fault, stupid, _stupid!_ ” He repeated, hitting himself in turn.

K'yara grabbed his arm with surprising strength to interrupt his self flagellation. 

He looked at hir and sighed. “I forgot, well I mean I _know,_ but it never seemed important... I'm part Vuldarian. But I thought I got purged of everything with the powers so I just... I think of myself as a human so... I know 'it slipped my mind’ doesn't cut it but...”

“Guy. Stop.”

“I'm sorry, I know that this must be hard for you too.”

Shi made a nasal whining noise, before simply asking. “Do you want this?”

“Honey, I just want to do the right thing and that means it's up to you.” He still couldn't quite wrap his head around the enormity of what had transpired.

Hir ear flicked with annoyance.

He sighed. Considered the situation. “Yes. It's a little sudden, I would have preferred to have time to prepare, but yeah, I want this, I want you.”

Shi finally stepped into his arms. “I just thought that you might be overwhelmed.”

“Oh, trust me I am, it hasn't sunk in yet, I'm probably going to have a nervous breakdown, but I think that's just what parenting is, like I mean I know they say that your whole life changes but... Hey, you, you're amazing, how are you taking this so well?”

“I have been spending about the last week taking breaks from reality but... I wanted to be sure before I said anything.”

“I thought that something was off but, Jesus, I didn't... Oh God, I need to sit down.” He put his head in his hands on the bar, his heart was still beating in his ears. When he felt like he could breathe again, he asked, “So, you've been to the doctor? Everything okay?”

Shi shrugged slowly. “It's hard to say, it's still really early and well, hybrids don't always make it to being viable.”

“Right. Of course.” He felt sick all over again. He squeezed his eyes shut, not surprised that they were wet. He knew that this was going to be a roller coaster ride and he had only just begun and there was no stepping off halfway through. “So... Do you mind... Can I... The ring, I can... Do a scan, if that's alright?”

Shi cocked hir head thoughtfully and then nodded.

“Alright, ring, tell us what we're working with.” He tried not to fidget as the green glow traveled over hir abdomen, clenching his fist involuntarily, even though he knew that the light was harmless.

[Confirmed, both embryos contain a synthesis of Human, Vuldarian and K'yara's DNA.]

Guy considered that for a moment before exploding with, “Both!? Th-there's two?! Oh God...”

“Uh... Is that not normal?” Shi asked cautiously.

“I mean.... It happens. It's just... One is usually more than enough.”

“Oh. I guess that you won't be upset by a small litter size then.”

“Wait, litter? How many do your kind usually carry?”

“Well, I was one of four, but some of my people have as many as six kits at a time.”

“Oh Christ, I guess at least I'm getting off lightly then. I need a drink.” He managed not to stumble as he walked behind the bar, bracing himself against the counter, but his hands were shaking so bad he needed to take a moment before he could lift the whiskey bottle. The lip of the bottle chimed against the glass with the trembling of his hands. He set down the bottle, then threw back the whole drink. He laughed a touch hysterically, breathing through the alcohol fumes before pouring another and putting the bottle aside. He would take his time with this one.

K'yara was watching him sharply, but he was still too out of sorts to protest. He was very much a mad man for the moment.

“Jesus.” He swore again, taking a swig, reminding himself that he was going to pace himself. “So. Kids. Me. Two of em.” He had to take another sip, the burn of alcohol the only thing steadying his nerves and anchoring him to the present.

“I don't know if this is a good reaction or a bad one.” K'yara muttered watchfully.

“It's good, I'm good, it's just...” He took another drink. “Wow! You know? I just... I mean I thought about having kids before but I always kinda thought that it would never happen to me?”

“Yeah, I understand that. I was pretty thrown for a loop at first. I tried to ignore it, thought that I was probably just imagining things...” Shi fidgeted. “I asked Abby for advice and she immediately took me to the clinic.”

He took another drink at that. Things could have been different while shi was at the clinic. Shi might never have told him. And that would have had to have been okay too, it wasn't like he would have known anything about it. He was glad that shi had Abby to rely on.

He took a long breath and tried to refocus on the situation. He was being self-obsessed again, as usual. “How are you?” He asked, feeling like maybe he should have led with that.

“Doing better than you, I think.” Shi replied, perhaps a bit acerbically.

He laughed, could feel the tears streaming down his face, he'd need to reach for a napkin to blow his nose soon. “I'm sorry, I'm being an ass, aren't?” He asked, lifting his head to look at hir again.

“Yeah, but that's why I l- I mean, that's just what I know that you're like, you get stressed out easily.” Shi shrugged and looked particularly bashful.

His brain was still struggling to keep up, he wondered if shi had been about to say what he thought shi was going to say, then the end crashing down. “Hey, I think that I'm handling this quite well.”

He went to take another sip but the glass was empty, he shoved it away, knowing that he needed to get a better grip of himself, of reality, of this new reality into which he was suddenly thrust. This was absolutely his fault and the least he could do was not make it worse. He started counting his breaths. When he felt like he could be calm again, he opened his eyes slowly, a little afraid that shi wouldn't still be there when he did.

“Hey. Thank you. For putting up with me.” He said glumly. He knew that this freakout wasn't over, but he could at least try to hold it together while shi was watching. He was gonna see if anyone was available to spar with him, really felt like Killowog could help to knock some sense into him before he jumped off the deep end.

“I could say the same for you, you didn't ask for this, you've given me... Well, everything.” He noticed that shi was crying too, and he reached to cup hir cheek.

“Hey, hey, c'mere, you're amazing. You know what? You know what this is? We have a bonafide miracle here between us. We did the impossible and we weren't even really trying.” He rocked hir back and forth, a deep giddiness welling up inside of him. He really was going to need to take a break and scream. Too many feelings were racing through him at the moment.

“You're still freaking out.” Shi noted cautiously.

“Absolutely. I don't know if I'll ever stop freaking out, but I'm going to keep it together, for you, for _them._ ” He choked on the last word, tears pouring out of him all over again. “Oh my God, oh my God I'm... I'm going to be a father... I'm... I'm honestly so happy right now.”

“If it makes you feel better, you're taking this about as well as expected.” Shi said dryly.

He laughed and sobbed at once. “Yeah, Christ! I'm a mess, holy shit... I mean, really! Fuck! Oh God, how am I going to do this?”

“Well, we aren't doing it alone. You have good people here. Our babies already have a family waiting for them.”

“Yeah... Yeah they do... We do.” He kissed hir again, smiled against the taste of tears. He pulled away when he realized how gross he was probably being, wiped his face with a napkin, then blew his nose into another, slightly self-conscious how the honking noise echoed through the empty bar. He looked up and a line of heads popped back into the kitchen.

He laughed again. 

“Look at that, they're already celebrities.” He stood up, feeling steadier, the alcohol warming his body.

“All right, might as well come out. K'yara, you ready to make an official announcement?” He offered, extending a hand. Shi looked more like shi would really rather bolt from the room, but slid off the bar stool and took his hand.

“Alright everybody, I know that you've all been eavesdropping and probably already know but, I... But _we_ are going to have a couple babies soon, and all of you are welcome to pitch in with that.”

The wait staff clapped unevenly.

“I'm going to go ... Tell the other lanterns.” He put on an easy smile, waved a salute and went out the door, leaping into the air.

Minutes later he was pounding on Killowog's door on the verge of a panic attack.

“Guy what the hells?!”

“Shi's pregnant!” He gasped, laugh-sobbing. “Please slap me, I'm hysterical.”

“You are at that, poozer.” Killowog grabbed him and crushed him into a bear hug until Guy really felt like he couldn't breathe. “Better?”

“Yeah, thanks. I could still use a kick to the head.”

“Guy, you are the last person I know who should get another head injury.”

“Okay fair point but... Fuck, Killowog, I'm going to be a father! I'm going to be a dad! Two kids, two babies! Soon! I didn't even know that this could happen!” He was laughing breathlessly. Killowog slapped him on the back.

“Well, good for you, congratulations.”

“I don't know what I'm gonna do, I don't know what I'm supposed to do? I don't know what I'm doing. You gotta help me, bud.”

“I think that you just need to chill out.”

“Well, yeah, obviously, that's why I'm here, I think that maybe a good spar will get this out of my system, maybe run me down?”

Killowog considered this. “Okay, but I'm calling Kyle and we're both gonna keep you on your toes.”

And so there he was, sandwiched between two of his best friends and using every bit of his strength, skills and smarts to stay ahead of their blows. Soon he was steadying, laughing, trading quips, feeling like himself and feeling the mad tension leaving him as his body started to tire.

“Thank you so much, I really needed that.” He sighed, leaning against the wall, panting. “Can you believe that I'm going to be a dad?”

“No, Guy, you've only told us about 500 times.” Kyle replied with a smirk.

He was laughing and his face hurt and his body hurt and suddenly all he wanted was to be at his mate's side.

“Okay, I'm going home, see you tomorrow.”

“Don't bother if you're still going to be a wreck.” Killowog snorted.

“Please, you know better than anyone that I'm always a wreck.” Guy laughed.

~

“Hey babe, how you doing?” He asked, easing himself onto the bed where shi lay, curled up on herself. He felt terrible, like he'd failed hir by leaving when shi needed him most, but he couldn't have stayed, he hadn't been fit for civil company, especially not the care shi needed. Shi made a strained noise and then rolled over. Shi looked miserable and he felt like shit all over again. “I'm sorry I left.”

“You came back, that's the important thing.” Shi smiled weakly.

“I still feel like an ass.”

“You are an ass, but that's nothing new.”

“Still, I feel like I'm supposed to be doing something and I don't know what, it's not like there's a book on this, Is there?” He knew there was no dearth of parenting books, but how was he supposed to know which ones were bunk? He took a steadying breath and reminded himself that he _did_ have a degree in Child Education, he wasn't completely out of his depth. It had just been awhile since it was his primary occupation. And now he'd be a dad, and it'd be more than a full time job. It was a _lifetime_ job and his heart squeezed at the thought.

“So, how does it feel to be a Daddy?” Shi asked him.

“I think that I'll be okay, as long as I have you, Mommy.” He rubbed hir face.

Shi tried to hide behind hir hands with a squeak. “I can't believe it! Honestly I dreamed about this for so long and I never thought that it was going to happen for me. I think that I demanded the doctor check again because I didn't believe him. Then I was afraid that even though I _know_ that I haven't fooled around with anyone else, I was afraid that you would think so and I was worried that maybe someone had done it to me without me knowing and then I was worried when and how and who could have done it-”

“Hey, hey, hey, breathe.” He rubbed hir shoulders. “It's okay. None of those other things happened, it's just you and me and our babies. That's what you've always wanted, right?”

“Yeah.” Shi sniffled, tears welling up again as shi looked up at him.

“So, it's happening. I'm here. I'm going to take care of you. I'm going to take care of them. Everyone else will be there waiting to help us out too. You're probably going to have every other parent, grandparent or other caretaker popping in to ask if you need anything. The whole damn community comes together to celebrate when a new baby is announced. You're gonna get tired of it, you're never going to be alone again except when you want to be, and we'll still be here waiting when you get back.”

“You're doing a lot better.” Shi commented.

“Yeah, I'll make it. I just needed some sense knocked into me. I still don't know what to do with myself but I'm too tired to work myself up anymore. I don't know about you but I think that I'm just going to stay right here for tonight, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, okay.”

~

Guy did his best to soothe hir nerves, but shi fidgeted the entire time from walking into the shuttle until it finally landed on Earth. He couldn't blame hir, thinking about how shi'd been found, hir personal ship had been more like a coffin. He wondered how the progress was going on fixing it. He should probably ask when they got back, but if it wasn't bothering hir, it wasn't bothering him.

“So, we're getting started in my hometown, help give you an example of where I'm from. Obviously, Earth is a whole damn planet and I haven't been everywhere and never will, but I think that you know how that works.”

Shi nodded, sticking close to his side, clutching his arm as a safety object. It was understandable. He carried hir duffel and his bag across his back but they weren't too heavy, he'd already arranged for a cab to pick them up and then they'd head to the b&b he'd picked out, nice view of the harbor.

“Now, most people know how to mind their own business, but Earth is still pretty new to meeting other types of people. So don't be too worried if people stare, if anyone is rude to you just point them out and I'll straighten them out.”

Shi smirked. “Are you sure that's a good idea?”

“No one's ever accused me of having good ideas.”

“Oh, come on, I know that you aren't that bad, I mean this was your idea and I think that we're going to have a great time.”

“Yeah, you're right, this is supposed to be a vacation, I gotta learn to stop starting fights over little things.” Still, he was glad that shi wore hir hat and he was hoping that they wouldn't attract an unwarranted amount of attention. The taxi driver said nothing but glanced back at them continually throughout the drive. K'yara was rubbing Guy's hand to calm him down. It was odd, being in his hometown should have felt nostalgic, but everything just seemed a little off. There were different buildings and developments, homes rebuilt, local stores moved or out of business. 

It was like this everywhere, he knew, realized how much he took the progressive nature of his new home for granted. Earth wasn't doing so well, certainly not in the less affluent areas of the US. It was disheartening to see the crumbling slums and the artificial facades of gentrification. It was always in a constant state of entropy. 

He didn't like the news he'd been hearing of late, was glad that he'd been spending time away, there was just too much to be angry and worried about. Basically the entire culture revolved around being constantly angry and afraid. Amazing that it wasn't constantly host to the Red and Sinestro corps. He shuddered, remembering when it _had_ been under the influence of Red Energy.

But then again, there was a whole universe out there dealing with its own upheavals and tensions.

As they pulled up at the picturesque bed and breakfast, Guy did his best to put on a less grim face, but it was always hard coming back to the real world. Space had warped his perceptions for sure. Shi squeezed his hand and he smiled at hir with genuine affection.

“So I figure that we'll stay here for a bit, got a list of things we can do, some buddies of mine to hang out with, whatever you feel like doin', I know we just got here so you might be tired-” He mused, as they entered the room, after checking in.

Shi cut him off by leaping into his arms. Laughing, he fell back onto the bed.

“I see the merits of your suggestion.” He joked, pulling hir shirt up as shi reached up his. Shi was becoming ever more sensitive, hir breasts and belly starting to swell. Shi was almost as horny as shi'd been during hir heat when they first met hardly a month and some change ago.

Shi seemed to notice his mind's direction and laughed as shi continued to grind on him. “So, so much for that 'no permanent claim’ thing, huh?”

“Ah, fuck, I was lying anyway, I knew I wanted something more from the moment I saw you.” He was pushing hir pants down hir hips.

“Will you get me a collar now?” Shi asked, tugging his jeans to his knees.

“I'll think about it.” He gasped as shi started stroking him.

Shi mock sighed. “I suppose you'll have to do.”

“Oh yeah?” He rolled to his feet, putting hir flat on hir back. Shi was breathing heavier and clearly impressed by being tossed around. He pulled hir leggings and shoes off with them. Shi cooperated as he maneuvered hir legs around his waist, half in the air, resting on hir shoulders and elbows.

“Yeah.” Shi challenged.

He laughed and then moaned as he started to rub against hir. He still couldn't believe it, not really, that shi was really there with him, that shi was carrying his babies inside hir body. He groaned as he eased into hir, feeling so warm as shi engulfed him. Their sex had taken on a different quality of late, still playful, but something more was passing through them with every glance and touch and breath.

But still, things got a little rough, he'd been moving hir legs up his body, now over his shoulders, spreading hir open wider, pounding deeper. Sweat was starting to drip from him. He had his hands on the back of hir knees and was pushing forward, starting to bend hir in half but shi still seemed perfectly malleable, still lost to the pleasure.

He knew that he wasn't going to last much longer, it had become more difficult when he was just still so overwhelmed with the emotions that poured forth every time that he thought about the fact that they were really going to have children, that shi was really giving that to him, so he gave everything he had to hir in turn.

He tried to not let himself fall upon hir too heavily as his strength drained from him. Hir knees were practically at hir ears and yet shi was still gazing up at him with that slightly glazed expression that meant shi was well and truly fucked out.

“Have you always been this flexible?” He asked.

“Mmmm those stretches you showed me have helped but, pretty much yeah.” Shi purred.

“Fuck you're amazing.” He sighed, regretfully pulling away so that he could sprawl on the bed to recover. “Really though. I mean it. Not just because of the mind blowing sex or that I've knocked you up, but just for you, I always feel like I'm discovering new things about you.”

“Gotta keep you on your toes somehow.”

“I don't think that I could ever give you anything less than my full attention.”

Shi looked bashful, so he cupped hir face in his hands and kissed hir soundly.

“Hey, I love you.” He had waited so long to say it, but it slipped from his lips so naturally.

Shi blinked away tears and smirked crookedly, lips quivering. “I know.”

He laughed and kissed hir again. “I didn't even think that you were paying attention to those movies.”

“I watched them again later. They seemed important to you and the other Earthlings insist that it's an important cultural landmark of your society.”

Guy laughed. “Yeah, I guess so, I just think they're fun, the kind of adventures I dreamed of before I started living them.”

“Guy,” Shi nudged him and he turned back to look at hir. “I love you, too, I hope you know that.”

“I do babe, I can't believe how much you have given me.” He held hir close. Shi sighed happily and rubbed his back.

“So, do you want to order some room service?” He asked after a beat.

~

They spent the next day at the aquarium, K'yara was positively fascinated by all the diversity of life and they would definitely visit the zoo soon. They walked hand in hand over the piers and docks, looking in the various tourist shops and candy stores. They got a few odd looks and some earnest questions, but for the most part Guy glared down anyone who looked at hir rudely.

It was getting late, the sun having passed over the horizon, when Guy bristled, hearing the mocking laughter of teenagers.

“Got something to say, ya little shits?!” He yelled back at them.

“Guy.” K'yara chided.

“I'm not going to start anything.” He protested.

“You space freaks don't belong here with normal people!”

Guy stopped and K'yara groaned.

“Ain't you kids got anything better to do? I thought that today's delinquents focused on credit card fraud an' identity theft?”

“You aliens keep getting shit blown up, all you do is cause trouble for good people.”

“Oh, for cryin' out loud, I'm fuckin' _from_ here, and even if I wasn't, you can't just assume that everyone different from you is something to shit on.”

“You'd know about that, wouldn't you!”

“Kid, that don't even make sense.”

“Well you're fuckin' an alien, that doesn't make any sense!”

“Kids, I ain't here to change your diapers or send you running home to mommy, but if you keep this shit up you're gonna confront someone a lot less forgiving than I am. Lotta people got no problem knocking kids around but I'd bet you know that. I was like you kids once, it fucking sucked. I made the decision to make my life stop sucking by doing something about it. Wise up, before you end up in real trouble.”

“Who the fuck do you think you are talking my kids like that, alien-fucker?” Grumbled a slovenly figure from a porch stoop, paper bag covered bottle in hand.

“Ah, so you're the drunk an' disorderly deadbeat trying to get kids to commit hate crimes for you. As for me, well, I'm Guy Fucking Gardner, Green Lantern of Earth.” His ring lit up with a flash.

The kids flinched back with a sound of astonishment. Their apparent guardian, a slovenly skinhead with some incriminating looking tattoos took a step forward.

“Ooh, you hiding behind a magic ring? You fuckin capes think that you're so much better than us regular people! Just slumming it like we're some kind of sideshow attraction to gawk at.”

Guy was annoyed, he had just finished explaining where he was from and obviously they weren't looking for a civil discussion. “Alright, you wanna make something of it?” He took off his ring and turned to K'yara. “Hey babe, hold onto this for me.” Shi barely caught the ring and almost fumbled it besides, but Guy was already stalking towards the other man, the teens circling up and rabble rousing.

“Oh my gods.” K'yara grumbled under hir breath.

“You sure you want to do this, buddy?” Guy called, squaring up. This slob was going down.

“I'm not your buddy, Guy!”

Guy laughed, wondered if the joke was intentional, doubted that the blotchy faced drunk even remembered his name. Guy let him take a few wild swings, sidestepping the heavily telegraphed moves.

“That all you got? Fuckin' drunks never have the follow through for a real fight, that's why you go after kids, anyone else would see you for the trash you are.” Guy stepped out of the way of another clumsy charge and yawned. “C'mon, I got plans with my lady, I don't have all night.”

The drunk tried to hit him from the waist, Guy hardly had to lean in to push him back.

“Seriously, you're just gonna hurt yourself, go home, sober up, take a shower, take care of your goddamn kids like a decent human being.” Guy shoved him back with a hand on his forehead, wanted to take a shower himself just for touching the man.

The man continued throwing fists, bellowing slurs.

“Okay, I tried being nice, it's time to shut you up now.” Guy shoved him back, waited for the same lousy approach and threw his fist right through the asshole's jaw. “You should get him checked out by a doctor, head injuries are no joke.” Guy shook his hands out, wiped his palms on his jeans and headed back to K'yara's side. The kids stared after them with a mix of hateful and stunned expressions, but stayed with the groaning drunk. Guy slid his ring back on his finger and reached out to hold K'yara's hand. “I think that it's time to turn in for the night.”

Shi nodded, still agitated.

~

“I don't know why I showed up early.” Guy groaned. They were standing in front of a diner waiting for his 'old friends’ to show up. His mood brightened when the first of them arrived.

“Hey, Kara, long time no see.” Guy stepped forward with open arms and had just enough time to accept what was coming. For the Kryptonian it was less than a slap for a mosquito, but for Guy his whole world wobbled for a moment. “Okay.... So what was that for?” He managed, rubbing his face.

“I really don't need a particular reason but this time it's because you never called.”

“I never called....? Oh shit, that was real? I thought that I dreamed that night, we were really fucked up. I'm sorry!”

“Ugh, you would forget something like that.”

He shrugged. “I have brain problems, thanks for that, by the way.”

“Whatever, Guy. I came because I want to see Ted and Booster. It's been awhile since any of us hung out.”

“Okay, fair. Anyway, now that you've made an entrance, this is my very sweet ladyfriend, K'yara.”

“Oh, you poor thing, you should start running now and never look back.” Kara purred, shaking hir hand.

Shi laughed. “I'm perfectly comfortable making my own terrible life choice decisions.”

“Hey!”

The women giggled. “I like you, you're going to fit in well.”

They waited a bit longer before Guy suggested, “Let's go get a table, they'll show up sooner or later.”

K'yara slid into the booth first, and naturally Guy next to hir. It was a surprise that Kara also deigned to sit on their side of the table.

“You haven't hung out with them awhile, you'll see, I'd rather sit next to Killer Croc than those two anymore.” Kara rolled her eyes.

The expected duo arrived in a burst of giggles and the heady aroma of marijuana.

“Hey Guy, like the new haircut.” Ted greeted.

“Too bad the rest of your fashion sense hasn't gotten any better.” Booster needled.

“Is everyone just going to pick on me all day?” Guy whined.

“Yeah, probably, this is what you get for making yourself a stranger for so long.” Ted shrugged.

“I live in Space! It's not like I can just visit casually whenever I want to.” Guy protested.

A server dropped off menus for the newcomers and refilled the others’ drinks. Guy, Kara and K'yara ordered while Ted and Booster put their heads together to study the menu intently.

“So, How did you two meet?” Kara asked Guy.

“Oh, well, so you see, shi got lost, hir ship broke down, but shi was in G'nort's sector so-”

“Wait, G'nort?”

“Yeah, he brought hir in, took hir to the bar to loosen up after everything.”

“Wait a minute, wait a minute, Guy... Guy, did you steal G'nort's girlfriend?” Booster was barely restraining a laugh.

“What?! No, that's not what-”

“Oh my God you did, you totally stole G'nort's girlfriend.” Ted laughed.

“I gotta tell everyone!” Booster whipped out his phone.

Guy groaned, knowing that it was destined for the Justice League group chat, where every notable hero on Earth would be witnessing his public humiliation, as per the usual.

“See, this is why everyone thinks that I'm an asshole.” Guy moaned.

“Well, that and the fact that you _are_ an asshole, Guy.” Kara pointed out.

“Be that as it may, this is clearly slander on my good name,” Everyone else at the table burst out laughing. “Aww, c'mon, K'yara, you tell 'em, you were never G'nort's girlfriend.”

“Hmm, well, I don't know, he definitely did express very clear romantic intent towards me, and I was reciprocating...” Shi was smiling impishly.

“I can't believe that you would betray me like this, how will I go on? A disgrace even to the mother of my children.” He hung his head melodramatically.

Booster choked on an ice cube.

“Wait, what, did you say?” Ted asked.

“Nooo! You stole G'nort's girlfriend and then knocked hir up!” Kara accused with gleeful disbelief.

“Oh my God this is so fuckin golden, what a tangled web we weave.” Ted laughed, his eyes watering.

“This is the juiciest fucking news since the waxing incident.” Booster corroborated, furiously updating the group chat.

“God damnit and I just majorly blew that announcement, I'm sorry babe.” Guy apologized to K'yara. “My big mouth got the better of me again, I wanted to do something classy, or like special, heh, like the beginning of the lion king, just hold you up and show you off.”

“You're manic, aren't you?” Shi smiled fondly.

“Holy shit, I am, ain't I?” He settled back in the seat throwing his arms and head over the edge of the booth.

“Guy, get your arm off me before I rip it off and beat you to death with it.” Kara threatened sweetly.

“Geez, sorry, sorry, I didn't realize that everyone was going to be so touchy today.” He crossed his arms and leaned forward.

“So anyway, speaking of announcements....” Ted began.

“We're finally tying the knot.” Booster finished proudly, holding up their joined hands.

“Gay.” Guy joshed, Kara elbowing him in the ribs. “What, I'm just saying, no one tries to rip apart the space time continuum just to save his ‘best friend’.”

“Says the man who became a Red Lantern because Kyle ate it.” Booster retaliated.

“Look, just because we slept together a few times... No one's straight in space, it's impossible, once you leave the solar system, there's no going back to heterosexuality.”

“But... Kyle is alive? I met him? He was very nice?” K'yara butted in, confused.

“Oh, honey, half this table has been dead in some form or another. It's just one of those fucked up parts about playing hero. We never know who's going to live, who's going to die, if there's even a possibility of coming back." Kara held her hands up. "That's why even though we're giving Guy shit, we all care about each other. We're a family, we look after each other, and you're one of us now too, you and your kids will be under the protection of the Justice League and the Green Lantern Corps, no matter what happens with you and Guy in the long run.”

“Kara the hell's that last part supposed to mean?” Guy demanded, eyes narrowing.

“It means that if you don't treat hir right I'm going to steal your girlfriend.” Kara replied smugly.

The table erupted into laughter and hooting from Booster and Ted again.

K'yara looked her up and down, then nodded. “Yeah, I got a lot of nice prospects.”

“Why must you hurt me in this way?” Guy mock whined as their meals finally showed up.

“Well, I mean, look at her, clearly you know what's up.” K'yara snickered, nudging him playfully.

“I guess I'm just glad that I'm sitting between you then.” He grumbled, taking a bite of his burger.

They were mostly quiet as they ate, if no one had particularly polite table manners. They didn't exactly eat with their mouth open but they also didn't differentiate their types of forks.

Conversation moved on to discussing the gossip of the rest of the heroic community, reminiscing about past exploits. Guy was not nearly as put out as he pretended to be by his every mistake being recounted to K'yara because shi was obviously delighted to learn more about him, and seemed to still love him more than ever despite, or maybe even because he was so flawed.

Guy was reflecting on the conversation and looked at K'yara idly gnawing on a bone from hir pork chops. As it crunched and splintered between hir teeth, Guy had a sudden moment of insight.

“You're a hyena.”

K'yara blanched, paling and pulling away with a look of fear, and Guy knew that he'd fucked up.

“No, no, no, no, it's not a bad thing, hey, it's okay, I still love you, there's nothing wrong with being a hyena person, I think you're really cool.” He wrapped his arms around hir and rubbed hir body like he was trying to warm hir.

“Y-you know... You knew.... I'm... I'm not really the same species as G'nort?”

“Yeah, I mean, you guys don't have the same fur growth or patterns, you have more fingers than he does, your hand and foot pads are different.”

“But... But why... If you knew I was lying?”

“You were scared, I don't blame you for trying to blend in, I didn't want you to feel like you were unsafe or that we wouldn't accept you for being different, I just figured you'd tell me the truth when the time was right. I guess I totally just blew that but-”

Shi was crying but shi put hir hands on his face to look at him. “Thank you.” Shi kissed him, even though hir shoulders were still shaking.

The other three at the table were making a point of acting like they hadn't noticed anything amiss. As Guy and K'yara whispered "I love you"s, kissing softly, Ted and Booster decided they might as well follow suit.

Kara groaned. “Really, do y'all gotta rub it in that I'm fifth wheeling here?”

“Well, I mean, you did basically invite yourself in over here if you want.” Guy smirked. K'yara giggled.

Kara went red in the face and softly socked Guy in the shoulder. Booster wolf-whistled.

“Ohhh my god, I hate you all.”

“So, Guy, you planning to see Tora?”

“I don't know... I don't know if she really wants to see me, and of course Bea hates me and hell, I understand feeling leery of a partner's exes.”

“You should see her anyway, just get some closure on the whole thing. Who knows, maybe they'll be the next couple to tie the knot. Least you have a plus one now.”

“Gonna be plus three soon.” Guy couldn't help but feel a little smug.

“Oh shit, twins?”

“Yeah.”

"So, anyway, Guy, walk it back a bit, everyone's gay in space or whatever but when did you get queer?" Booster asked, pointing a finger. "I distinctly remember you rebuffing me for thinking that I was coming onto you once... Or do you remember that? Time travel shit, I get things mixed up."

Guy paused, thoughtfully considering if he remembered what Booster was talking about. He shook his head, like Booster said, time travel mixed things up. "To tell you the truth I was always in denial about it, I got shamed about the idea before I even knew to draw the conclusions. I just figured that since I was attracted to women _too_ , I could just fake being straight. Worked pretty good for awhile but I never really connected with any guys, pretty much just one night stands, maybe a few handsy trysts." He took a sip of his drink, he wasn't sure he'd ever talked about it before. "But again, didn't act on it until I was in space and I figured at that point, no offense, but if I'm going to be fooling around with entirely different species, same gender hookups weren't quite so strange."

~

After Ted and Booster left with promises of letting them know when they picked a wedding date, the other three found their way back to Kara's place. 

“You know, Peej, I miss your old uniform.” Guy commented.

“Ugh, if you like it so much, you can have it.” Kara groaned.

“Wait, really?” Guy did a double take.

“What, you really want it?” Kara seemed just as surprised.

“Hell yeah, that's Classic Justice League History!” Guy confirmed eagerly.

“I thought that you were volunteering to wear it.” Kara laughed.

“Who says I'm not?” Guy smirked.

“Oh, hell, I gotta see this, hold on while I go dig it out.”

K'yara watched quietly as the others exchanged a piece of white fabric and pink tights, snickering all the while. Guy stepped into the bathroom to change, and as soon as he stepped out the two alien women fell over with laughter, rolling on the bed. Guy, never one to leave things hanging, began to make absurd poses, highlighting his exposed chest, the tight spandex around the bulge of his crotch and ass. The pink tights were stretched around the muscles of his legs.

“Too bad your boots won't fit me.” He sighed, jumping onto the bed in the space between them, flaring the red half cape before landing. “I don't think that the green would look so good and my civvie boots didn't match up at all.” He put his toes up in explanation. "It keeps riding up my crack, how do you deal?"

"I usually don't go commando for one."

"Fair point."

It was decided that Guy could sit in the corner and watch while the girls entertained each other, but wasn't allowed to touch even himself. So he sat, on a hard wooden chair, squirming in a too tight leotard while the love of his life was being smothered by the powerful thighs of Power Girl.

K'yara was looking resplendent when Kara finally let hir come up for air.

“Yeah, she doesn't go easy on you.” Guy moaned.

“No comments from the peanut gallery!” Kara tossed without venom. “Anyway, K'yara, care to sit up here so I can return the favor?”

“Yes please!” Shi giggled excitedly, taking hir time climbing up Kara's powerful body.

“Oh, you have a lovely clit, I'm jealous.” Kara purred, putting her mouth to a different use.

K'yara whimpered, hir gaze alternating between looking down at Kara's determined expression and back at Guy's suffering. Kara held hir hips in place until K'yara finally begged off for a rest. 

Kara sighed after a long cuddle. “What do you think, has he been a good boy?”

Guy made a strangled noise, his fingers digging into the wood grain of the chair below him.

K'yara looked him over playfully, and he was tense with frustration, but also shi still made all the agony worth bearing just to see hir happy. “Yeah, he's behaved himself.”

“I suppose that means he's earned a reward.” Kara sighed again, sitting up, heaving her exemplary bosom. She walked into her closet, and then back out wearing a sizeable strap on. “Okay Guy, get over here and bend over and show us what a good boy you can be.”

“Yes, ma'am.” He snapped. He was shaking and was almost afraid that he would fall as he walked over to the bed and planted his hands on the mattress. K'yara wiggled over below him and he knew that he was in trouble. He'd been a bit trepidatious when he'd seen the size and girth of Kara's strap, but now sandwiched between the two women he had absolutely no hope of coming out on top of this situation and honestly, he was okay with that.

He felt like he couldn't breathe as K'yara took him in and Kara filled him up. He didn't know if he could move, every twitch of his body becoming a cascading series of shivers, his skin tingling all over. K'yara held his face as shi kissed him, making him breathe with hir, Kara's hands on his hips and thrusts were probably going to leave bruises but it was making him ache in the best possible ways. K'yara started nipping at his neck, hir voice in his ear all that he could hear, not that there were any words that made sense.

“Are you ready to come for me, Guy?” Kara hissed.

He could only whimper and felt his body give in as she nailed his prostate.

He felt so good, so raw, so euphoric, the aches and pains a blooming pleasure.

He shook when Kara finally moved away, found himself wrapped in a blanket, K'yara still speaking soothingly to him, warm and soft. He smiled, feeling safe, even as he continued to sob from the power of the feelings he was experiencing. It was some kind of deep catharsis. Simultaneously being shown devotion and defiance. Instead of being afraid that shi might abandon him, he realized that there were many people in his life who supported him.

He smiled against K'yara's chest as he felt Kara climb into bed beside them and couldn't resist the urge to say, “Maybe I should act out more often if that's what I get in return.”

Kara swatted his ass but they were all amused.

~

“Alright, get up sleepyheads, I got somewhere to be. I got you some coffee and muffins, we'll see each other again soon, make sure you lock up before you leave.” Kara kissed Guy on the temple and K'yara open mouthed, before heading off, presumably to work.

~

They took an Uber back to their bed and breakfast, K'yara wanted to sleep in longer, and Guy decided to go for a run. Sure every part of him was screaming in agony as he did so, but it was the better way to work the pain out of his system rather than just letting his muscles stiffen up. 

He decided that he would probably pick up some ice cream or something on the way back. He felt clear-headed, light and good in a way he never thought that he would get used to. He almost felt foolish, he'd felt so alone and isolated, but people had reached out to him, helped him up, supported him even when he wasn't sure of himself. He'd thrown himself into the Corps because he'd felt like he had nothing else in his life. Now he felt like there was nothing but opportunities and possibilities for him.

He noticed the sirens first, not an uncommon sound in the city. Nor sight, he mused, as emergency vehicles passed. He felt his pulse quicken when News vans blew past, impossible to ignore now that he was heading in the same direction. He saw smoke in the air and decided his feet weren't good enough. He flew up over the buildings and felt dawning horror as he knew that it was their peaceful bed and breakfast that was now burning, smoke and debris everywhere.

He was ready to fight, on his toes, feeling a growl in his throat as he spotted the tell tale crimson of a red lantern's aura.

“ _Bleez!_ ” He roared, recognizing his former suboordinate. She was standing over a refrigerator and Guy felt a knot of bile in his throat. Bleez’ head snapped up and Guy thought that it was odd that she looked afraid. She turned to run and then another glow overtook her.

He saw the red first, watched as the bloody shape tore off one of Bleez’ wings and unleashed a screaming howl. Bleez was fighting, spitting, clawing and struggling under her attacker. Guy finally recognized K'yara, realized what he was seeing. She wasn't a red Lantern like Bleez, though that color and icon were projected in front of hir, because behind that was the diamond shaped glow of an Indigo Lantern.

K'yara looked up at him, which let Bleez claw hir face and scramble away. K'yara stood up shakily, glared after Bleez and then lumbered towards Guy, gaining speed. He put a foot back to brace himself for impact, trying to find the room in his mind that his sweet and understated lover was this bloody horror show monster. He didn't even struggle as shi pinned him to the ground, blood dripping from hir maw onto his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the primary reason I started reading the comics was so that I could write these twists, I still don't know that the writing is great or that I have the lore entirely correct but it has been great fun getting this far. I think that I am almost if not completely finished with the next couple chapters and then it'll probably be a couple of months before I get the second part started.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Reckoning is nigh!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is Good Enough. I'm not totally happy with it but I don't see any easy way to improve upon it and I don't have any beta readers (I've only ever had like one chapter of one of my fics beta read). Anyway peep that the story length got popped up two chapters. Ended up writing a lot more backstory for K'yara than initially planned and planting some future plot details.

Shi was shaking, eyes bloodshot and he tried not to recoil when shi kissed him. Then shi stepped back, blinking, looking dizzy, wiped the blood off hir face to find more of it already soaking hir fur. Hir mane was standing high, making hir look like a hedgehog. Shi looked back at Guy, picking himself up off the rubble strewn ground, still staring at hir, wiping the blood off his own face.

Hir expression faltered, shi opened hir mouth, scowled and then spit to the side. Shi wiped hir face again, still blinking like it was too bright to see.

“You're an Indigo Lantern.” He finally stated.

Shi blinked, nodded.

He let his head fall back, trying to figure out what it all meant. Shi approached him cautiously, as he got to his knees. He couldn't say what he was feeling.

[Ring Power Depleted, powering down.]

K'yara's eyes widened for a moment, before shi collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. 

Guy was just glad to catch hir, and decided that the obvious next stop was to get hir to a hospital. He took hir ring for safekeeping, stood aside and waited while the staff checked hir vitals, giving hir a quick sponge bath to get hir fur reasonably clean while checking for injuries. 

He sat in the hard hospital chair while they explained the procedures they were following, asking him questions about hir species’ care, and he was answering as best he could. He was glad he was sitting when the fetal heart monitor blipped on because he almost collapsed from sheer relief, not realizing how worried he'd been until he started sobbing into his hands. 

Shi was more or less given a clean bill of health, merely unconscious, given fluids as a preventative, the babies as normal as hybrids could be from a professional perspective. He had nothing to do now but to wait. Wait and think, try to puzzle together the last several months and what it meant in light of this new information.

~

“What did you do?” Were the first words out of his mouth. They were the wrong ones but he couldn't stop turning it over in his head while waiting for hir to wake up.

“I didn't _do_ anything.” Shi glared.

“I know, it's shitty of me to ask, I've done fucked up shit too but... I'm sorry... It's just... All this time... And then... I thought I knew you...” Guy was tired, he was angry, he was stressed, he wanted answers, didn't know if he wanted to know them.

“Well... You do. You might have noticed that I wasn't wearing the ring? All this time? I barely managed to check in with it, had to keep it hidden... I should have told you from the start. It was a stupid mission anyway, I was just supposed to check progress on your rehab program and get out of there...” Then shi sighed. “But I didn't want to go...”

Shi took a deep breath. “I didn't do anything _wrong._ Sure most of the Indigo Tribe is people who need compassion, that lack it, the ring lets people put everything else away. I... I came in from a different angle... I... I had too many feelings, too much compassion in a life full of shit... I tried to kill myself. I was in a cold dirty alley, watching my life flow out into the gutter where I belonged...

“Then I heard a voice, a little kid was lost, calling for her mother... I just didn't want her to have to find me like that. Tried to stop up the bleeding. Prayed for a miracle to gods I didn't believe in. Just to make it a little longer so that I could help her, and then I would give everything up. The ring found me, healed me, for the first time in my life I wasn't in agony. Kid found her mom, and I found the Indigo Tribe.

“Turns out I'm an empath, I feel everything everyone around me is feeling, sometimes make them feel way I am, can't control it.”

“So you knew... Were banking on my going soft on you.” Guy grumbled, heart still aching.

Shi rolled hir eyes. “ _If_ I were influencing you, it would only be with the fact that I felt the same way. I can't override other people's emotions the way theirs will flood mine.

“So even though I'm not the same species as G'nort, because of my superficial resemblance, I was the one picked to go. The tribe was banking on him being a good patsy. Get in, get out, no one the wiser, no harm, no foul. I'm also one of the few who can function without the ring to shut me down.

“Then I saw you and well... I had just started experiencing all the emotions again and I knew that I wanted to fuck you. I don't know why, I should never have gone to the bar in the first place, and I was specifically told to stay away from you and the other higher ranking Lanterns... 

“But I wanted to feel things again, especially good things, getting drunk and fuzzy, being surrounded by good vibes and merriment, happy people... And I felt your interest and I may have got us trapped in a reciprocal trap of that and I'm sorry if that counts as manipulation to you but I couldn't have stopped it if I wanted to because your sendings were just that strong... Just maddeningly irresistible... It's like... The only time I get to feel things with the ring on is when I have a skirmish with one of the other Corps. Hell, Red Lantern energy is the worst for me because it feels so good but it's so bad.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I know. It feels great, also feels like the worst thing ever.” Guy sighed.

“Kind of addictive, it just feels so right, so righteous. Gods, feel invincible... Bet they can fuck...” Hir eyes lit up with a manic gleam.

“Yeah... Things get pretty freaky when all your bodily fluids are basically kerosene.” Guy rubbed his scruff.

“Hah, I bet, who'd you fuck while you were red?” Shi asked casually.

“Oh God, don't tell anyone... But Bleez......You bit her fucking wing off earlier. For me, well, she yelled 'Fuck you' at me one too many times so I said 'wanna bet' and well... She hates me even more now, of course, I'm told that I ruin the experience for anyone but me.”

Shi socked him in the arm playfully. “Don't rub it in.” Shi lay back down and breathed out a long whinging “Fuuuccckkkk, I have to report in now don't I?”

“Yeah, and so do I, I bought some time by looking after you but the others want some answers.”

Shi rolled over and hid hir face in the pillow. “I don't wanna.”

“I know... But we'll figure this out, okay?” He reached for hir hand, finally starting to feel like things were making sense again, even if it was all a lot more complicated than he'd been expecting.

“Okay... But... But can you stay with me? At least a little longer?” Shi begged.

“Babe, no matter what I am gonna stick with you now. What rattled me more than anything was the thought that you might get hurt.” He admitted.

“Yeah, kids up in this bitch and all.” Shi grumbled, looking to the monitors.

“Honestly, I thought of them second, right around when the anger kicked in. You scared the shit out of me for a second there. Had no idea in hell how I would have been able to keep you safe, I wouldn't fight you, but I wouldn't be able to stop anyone else from it. Christ and all the blood...”

“Yeah I tend to rubber band pretty hard... It's why I get drained so bad when I use it. I'm not like the other indigos. We're unified in that all of us were once victims, the others perpetuated that cycle and the ring makes them break it. I'm not trying to break the cycle, I'm trying to build a new one.”

“God you're amazing.” He beamed, seeing that determination in hir eyes.

“Hey, so, you've used other rings, you ever try an Indigo?” Shi asked.

“I mean I used a violet ring the one time...” 

“Try mine, I have the feeling that you'll be a natural.” Shi suggested.

“Oh, I don't know about that...” He said, even while taking the proffered object and hesitantly slipping it on, slipping off his green one and tossing it to hir as a gesture of trust.

Shi nearly fumbled it again and seemed slightly awed.

Guy wasn't sure exactly what he was supposed to feel, he knew what he'd been told but the experience was something else. There was a deep calm and tranquility in him he'd never really known before.

“You have a great deal of compassion too, you know.” Shi smiled.

“Yeah. And you have more willpower than you think you do.” He grinned.

“Huh... You know, us swapping rings... Doesn't this kind of count as a proposal?” Shi teased, pivoting on the bed to get to hir feet.

He laughed and suddenly everything was shining crystal clear. He stood and shifted his stance, allowed himself to manifest a new uniform, pondering if it was really his color, turning to look in the mirror.

“I don't think that I want to try flying just yet but...” Shi was clearly concentrating on making complex constructs. “You should try to draw on your experience with other emotions.”

It was an odd suggestion, especially when he felt like he wasn't really being affected but then he concentrated, remembered the sensation, first turning to the anger that had always been in him, it swept over his skin like a flame, it felt powerful, but unlike the full force of the Red Lantern rage, he was apart from it, in control.

“Huh, imagine that.” He looked at his reflection trying to define what the sight was meaning to him. He switched to fear, remembering the day's events. His pulse quickened, palms slick, stomach queasy, mouth dry. But again, it did not control him. “Yeah, okay I can definitely see how this can be addictive.”

Shi grinned at him and he thought that shi looked amazing in green. “Hey, I think that we make a nice contrast.”

“Yeah, balance.”

“This is how it's meant to be.”

They kissed, and Guy laughed, breaking it off when he saw the violet light of love manifest before him.

“What the hell are you doing?” Hal Jordan stood in the doorway.

“Foreplay?” Guy offered offered cooly.

“Goddamn it, Gardner! This isn't a game, the rings aren't toys to be played with!” John chided, coming into the room behind Hal.

“Why not?” K'yara challenged. “You've used other rings, one can balance them, we don't have to keep everything separate. I think that the division is just making us all weaker, when we need to be combining our gifts and trying to make a lasting difference rather than just putting out fires all the damn time. I'm sick of the tribe leaders whinging about how there's not enough compassion in the universe while they sit around on their asses and insist that it's not our place to interfere with how things work. Isn't that exactly what we're supposed to be doing?!”

Guy didn't care that he was basically a cartoon character flashing hearts, shi was really amazing and it made him feel good to see hir feeling so strong and certain. He watched the awareness dawn on hir face as shi realized what shi had just said, and to whom, and what it meant.

“So I'm thinking that we go visit the Indigos, have a little chat about how to simply ask for a fuckin report rather than sending a spy and try to figure out how we take the other Corps into the fold.” Guy suggested.

“Are you two just going to swap places then? A kind of lantern corps exchange program.” Hal snorted.

“Fuck no, I'm not going back there and Guy would hate it and they would hate him.” K'yara spat.

“You know what they say about how couples start to act like one another?” John frowned.

“I might want to keep the green ring on when we see them.” Shi looked so good standing in hir own confidence.

“We also gotta set up some kind of mental health support, it's a thing that first responders need and that's basically what we are and maybe if we were doing a little bit more preventative work we wouldn't have to deal with so many of us having mental breakdowns.” Guy was surprised, he hadn't felt so clear headed in ages, maybe never. He felt the same kind of thrill that his schooling had once given him.

“This is weird right? They're both acting weird?” Hal asked.

“Nah, Guy's always had a big heart, he just doesn't usually get the chance to use his brain with all the ego in the way.” John mused thoughtfully.

Guy shrugged, that comment would piss him off later but it wasn't important in the now. It was strange to have the disconnect between his thoughts and his feelings. It was a little like watching himself from a distance but he had never felt more present in the moment.

“Yeah we should probably keep the swap up for that visit, I feel like this'll keep me from losing my temper and knocking a few heads together.” Guy looked over the ring.

“Okay, yeah, this is officially weird, Guy not wanting to walk into a fight.” Hal laughed uneasily.

“Well, you know, there's always time for that later.” Guy smirked.

“Yeah, we gotta do the Now rather than just talking about it.” K'yara started disconnecting the medical equipment monitoring hir condition.

“Well, okay then, I guess we're heading off in a delegation to see the indigo Tribe and sort all this mess out.” Hal sighed.

“Isn't this supposed to be what enlightenment feels like? Kinda dull though.” Guy asked K'yara.

“Yep, we can't live being On all the time. I think that a lot of us forget that we need to unplug sometimes.”

~

“Lantern K'yara, bad enough that you went AWOL, you compromise your mission, bring the Green Lanterns back with you and... Did you trade your ring with Gardner?!”

Guy laughed while K'yara shot hir fellows a cool glance. “I think that it's time that we all sort some things out. You can't keep talking about change without ever actually changing anything. Do you understand why all the other corps are so much more powerful than we are? Because they understand that our energy can be limitless if only we believe! The only thing holding us back is our unwillingness to give ourselves over to compassion completely. Abin Sur put you all here as penitence, but nobody ever taught you shit about how to actually practice compassion. We can't just sit here on our asses and whine there isn't enough compassion in the universe, we have to go out there and show that it's there.

"Yeah, so I'm kinda new here, only been amongst you a few years now, trying to heal my own wounds. I wanted to do everything I could to help the rest of you while I was at it. I lived at the very bottom and saw where people could still have compassion for one another, even when they had nothing else. You were all sent here to learn it but all you're doing instead is just avoiding the issue. I'm sick of trying to save people who don't have my back! I'm going to stay with the Greens for awhile, think about where I want to go from there. I suggest the rest of you take some time to look at yourselves and your place in the universe and decide what the hell it is we're even trying to accomplish. I'm going to go try to spread some compassion, because the universe sure as hell needs it!"

John and Hal stayed behind to discuss things with the tribe leaders. Guy was all too glad to go back to his home on Mogo.

~

“When you take off the ring there's going to be a lot of blowback.” K'yara warned as Guy settled into bed beside hir. 

He was a little uncertain, but he'd been through plenty of rough spots before, this didn't seem all too bad, just facing his own feelings. Guy took the ring off his finger and immediately regretted every decision he'd ever made. Every moment of pain and disgrace that he'd tried to forget came raining down upon him. It was agony and loneliness, betrayal and hurt, anger and fear.

The only anchor he had was K'yara's arms around him, hir voice quiet against the screaming of his mind. “Shhh, it's okay, you've already been through the worst of it. Let go of the need to escape it and let yourself feel, let out everything you've been afraid of, I'm not going anywhere.”

“I never had anyone looking out for me when I needed them the most.” He choked out, feeling like a tiny bit like he was hiding in a cupboard, vividly remembering trying to shield himself from his father's drunken rage. “How do I know that I can trust that you won't hurt me too?”

“You can't.” Shi smiled sadly. “How do I know that someday you won't look at me and only see an object?”

“I never want to feel like that.” He sobbed.

“Someday you might need to, but there's nothing wrong with feeling a certain way, it all depends on what you do.” Shi reassured, stroking his hair.

He blinked, realized it was dark. “How long have I been... Out of it.” He gasped, his body still shaking and aching, while it felt like he was bleeding from a wound in his soul.

“As long as you needed.” Shi reassured him, tucking his hair behind his ear.

“I'm exhausted.” He let his head fall against hir softness again.

“Yeah, that'll happen. It won't be so bad in the future, now that you know what to expect, now that you've faced it all again. Of course, you don't ever have to wear it again if you don't want to.”

“Waitaminute...” He took a deep rattling breath. “You were going through this the whole time we've been together, haven't you?”

Shi shrugged. “I'm used to it. Most of my regrets I've made peace with, I have forgiven myself the mistakes I made for not knowing better, because I couldn't not have. The cruelty of other people was never my fault, though they made it my burden to bear. It still hurts, yes, but those hurts are a part of me now, and they help me keep moving forward.”

He realized that his face was near hir arm. He wondered how he hadn't noticed before. He traced his finger over a jagged line. “This is from when it happened.”

“Yeah.”

“And when you take off the ring, it returns you to that place.”

“Yes.”

“Christ, how do you do it?”

“Well, according to you, apparently I have quite the wellspring of willpower.”

“According to nothing but the fact you've proven that you do.” He snorted. It felt good, he was coming back into what it felt like to be himself again, even if there was a sort of lingering emptiness, an ache, a haze over his brain that reminded him of his first days recovering from his brain injuries. A frustration of a skill once habit that's become impossible.

“And you have great compassion, but you need to be able to direct it towards yourself. That was the lesson that took me the longest to learn, and I don't think that the others have begun that process. They never get through the misery of their own pain and regrets, without their rings they are broken. But we're stronger than them, because we decided to survive on our own terms, we might have bent, but we've never really broken. Though it would have been easier.”

“Yeah... It would have been.”

“But then you'd never escape your own conscience.”

“I... Really just... I love you so fucking much, I always knew that you were amazing, but you still surprise me every day.”

“Well, I don't have any other big surprises like that up my sleeve.”

“Not what I meant.” He nuzzled against hir chest. “It's you, it's just you, there's so much more to you than I think that I can ever know, but I'm never going to stop loving you and how beautiful you are inside.”

“Ah, you're on the upswing.”

“Huh?”

“Blowback hurts, hits hard, brings you low, but it rubber bands. You're gonna be euphoric for awhile, then it'll hit you again but it won't be as bad. I think that you'll probably continue to cycle through for another week.”

“If you knew it was going to be like this, why did you tell me to put the damn thing on in the first place?”

“Self compassion. Guy, you need it, and that was the most expedient way to get you to face it, and it was pretty important for you being able to deal with the Indigo Tribe civilly.”

“Yeah, you with the Green, I thought that you were about to throw down.”

“Heh, I was, but they know that I know how they work.”

“Oh, shit, and you just taught it to me.”

“Yeah, probably not gonna be a white lantern like Kyle, but I think that you're better off learning the breadth of your own emotions.”

“Yeah, you're probably right about that. I guess this makes us even for how I was trying to get you to open up.”

“Nah, it's not about that, just about being able to see what needs to be done. That's the strength of the Indigo. That's why I knew I had to take the mission, that's why I knew I had to stay even if I didn't understand why. The other Indigoes wear their rings to forget how to feel, but it makes them weaker. You have to be able to feel to be a whole being.”

“Huh... So what does that say about us Greens?”

Shi smirked. “Well, you don't have to be an arrogant prick to be a Green Lantern, but it certainly doesn't hurt.”

He laughed. “That's fair. Make sure you tell that one to Hal, make sure it's where I can see his face.”

“That's why you two don't get along.”

“Yeah, we're both arrogant pricks, too similar, Alpha male, Type A personalities.”

Shi giggled. “No, but the fact that you see it that way says a whole lot about the situation.”

“You making fun of me again?”

“Maybe, what are you going to do about it?”

“Oh, I don't know... How about-” His fingers trailed down hir ribs.

“Eep! No, don't, I give.”

Guy laughed. “I didn't even touch your ticklish spot.”

“Yeah but you were gonna.” Shi pouted.

“Yeah, but how about we touch better spots.”

“Yeah, I think that will work.” Shi settled down and pulled up hir shirt. Guy just took a moment to admire hir, the changes in hir body, it was a heady thing to look at hir and know that he was responsible for it, that shi was willing and able to carry his children. The thought still filled him with awe as much as desire as he rubbed his hands over hir rounded belly, swelling teats, fur thinning out as the skin stretched.

“You're such a beautiful mother.” He still felt vulnerable, the feelings raw, even if they were positive.

“Well, it helps that I have a really good daddy helping me out.”

“You're such a flatterer.” He hummed into hir lips.

“You're one to talk.” Shi replied in the breaks between their kisses.

“Yeah, we should just accept the compliments.” He agreed, kissing down hir neck, working his pants down his hips. Shi had hir hands on his cock as soon as it was bared and he just took a breather to savor the feeling. He was buzzing, that positive blowback making his skin tingle. Shi tugged his shirt over his head and then he pulled hir pants off. He pulled hir into his lap and shi rocked hir hips down, seeking friction.

It never ceased to amaze him how eager and willing shi was every time. He groaned as shi worked hir way onto him, gripping each other tight. She felt so good, all around him, in his arms, shi just fit him, fit his life, his heart. The excited little whimpers as hir breath hitched, the shaking as shi tried to focus in hir excitement. Shi was so, so giving, but then, that made sense, hir strongest virtue being compassion. All he could do was to give hir everything he could.

He took hold of hir hips as shi started to falter and shi was moaning, panting, sweating. He licked hir neck, at this point completely inured to the experience of fur in his mouth. Shi loved to be bitten, and it seemed that shi didn't really have a point where he could bite hir too hard. For hir, sex was about so much more than the physical and he enjoyed the challenge of keeping up with the intricacies of what shi was trying to communicate.

He was thrusting up into hir with desperation, pouring his all into what his body could do for hir. He came like it was a punch to the gut, heard himself whimper as he clutched hir close and felt hir take what shi needed from him. Shi hummed happily against his neck, breath stabilizing as shi squirmed in his lap, their juices trickling wetly over their thighs.

Shi leaned back in his arms and he caught hir gaze. There was so much, he could feel, that passed between them that didn't have words. It wasn't just the almost tawdry union of their bodies that pulled them together, but some spark of something deeper. He knew that sex was a simple concept, that conception was an act of most species, but it still blew him away to know that the two of them had generated new life. That shi was even now incubating his children, that someday soon they would be a part of the world, in his arms, learning to speak and think and become new people he was so excited to meet. And shi took it all in stride, patient, adoring.

And yet, there was no part of hir that was weak, even hir vulnerabilities were strengths for hir, shi wore hir scars proudly, as a badge of all that shi had survived. He'd always been afraid of building a family, heroes typically didn't have the greatest luck keeping them safe. Finding out that shi was an Indigo Lantern had been a relief. He knew now that he didn't have to worry about protecting hir because shi would do so hirself. 

He wondered what would become of their children, what their interests and professions might be, if they would be more interested in sports or crafts, if they would want to be heroes like them, embroiled in combat, much as he might not want them to be, or if they would pursue furthering academic or philosophical knowledge. It was exciting.

And shi was the key to all of it.

He kissed hir deeply, lay hir down, admired hir. Shi still had hir legs wrapped around him, and he ran his hands along hir strong thighs. Shi sighed and released him, and he gasped as they separated. He looked down to where they had been joined, and licked his lips. He caught hir eye just before moving back to get hir legs up over his shoulders, putting his face between hir thighs and started lapping up the mess he'd made.

Shi mewled beautifully and dug hir hands into his hair. He let hir push him around as shi writhed in pleasure. He hummed around hir clit while his tongue probed deep. His hands drifted down from where he was stroking hir breasts, and parted hir pretty pussy lips before diving back in. He kept his mouth on hir clit, started to push his fingers into hir, rub hir sweet spot.

Shi liked his fingers almost as much as shi liked his cock and it was always so incredibly gratifying how shi wanted him so bad, so desperately seeking whatever he had to give. What could he do but to give hir everything?

~

"Well, I'm glad that we got all that sorted out." Killowog sighed. K'yara and the four Senior Earth Lanterns were in his office as the case of hir break in was settled.

"By the way, your ship has been fixed for awhile but we wanted to keep an eye on you until we knew what was going on." Kyle offered.

Guy felt a twinge of fear and K'yara's pupils shrank. "That's fair."

"So you really knew that something was off the whole time?" Guy asked, rubbing his jaw. If K'yara had been sent as an assassin shi could have killed him ten times over the first day they met.

"It wasn't like you were going to listen to us." Killowog snorted. "When I first brought it up I thought that you were gonna slug me through the wall. We were worried, honestly, thought that shi could have put you under some kind of mental thrall while we continued to investigate."

"Yeah, we were told to keep our heads up while you were on Earth so as soon as we heard about the attack we dropped what we were doing." John explained.

"Yeah, I called them in but they were already en route, I just made it easier for them to find us rather than searching for us." Guy admitted hesitantly.

"But if all you Earth Lanterns are here right now..."

"Oh, we have two more now, we let them handle most Earth business. We still switch off because we get home sick but those kids don't really need us hanging around, though the other Leaguers still prefer to work with us." Hal explained with a touch of smugness.

"I had dinner with some of them." K'yara smiled fondly.

"Oh... Yeah... That League..." Hal did his best not to sound too dismissive but it came through anyway.

Guy growled, bristling, but no one said anything further.

Kyle coughed to break the tension. "So now what? I know that you two are going to be taking parental leave soon, Guy's already on shore leave."

"Yeah, and I'd like to get back to it... Not sure where we're going to stay now..."

"Don't you have family?" John asked.

Guy paused. "Yeah, but I don't want to impose..."

"Do they even know that you were on Earth?" Hal asked.

"Do they know you're having kids?" Kyle added.

"What? You think that I wouldn't tell them-"

"You didn't tell them yet, have you?" Hal crossed his arms over his chest with a self-righteous smirk.

"I- I was getting to it! Honest! It's on the itinerary, I just... I wanted to announce it in person, it didn't seem like just a phone call, I wanted them to meet hir..."

"So, what are you doing here still? You could have gone back yesterday." Hal seemed especially fixated on rubbing this in Guy's face.

Kyle nudged him. "Hal, you have no room to talk, when was the last time you visited your brother and his family, and you've been on Earth."

Hal opened his mouth to protest, and then closed it, lips in a tight grimace. "It wasn't that long ago."

"We should move out though. Do we want to make the trip through transluminal together or just go our separate ways now?" John asked.

"Well, Hal was gonna swap in early with me, but if he needs to go see his family..." Kyle trailed off, looking puckish.

"This is why we try not to keep the Earthmen in one room." Killowog explained.

"I should call my sister first." Guy sighed.

~

"Oh yeah, I should mention, you don't mind that everyone calls you my girlfriend, right?"

Shi shrugged. "To be honest, technically we're mates now."

"Right, we are at that." He smiled.

They walked up the path to his sister's house. He'd let her know that he was arriving with a partner, but hadn't told them any specific details. He wondered now if maybe he should have. He flashed a quick smile to K'yara as much to reassure himself as hir and knocked on the door.

"Hey, Gloria." He greeted as the door opened to reveal his sister. Before he could step in a small blur latched onto his leg. "Hey, Danny, you're getting so tall." He bent down to pick up the kid, his stomach fluttered to think that soon he'd be holding his own kids like this. He turned. "Gloria, Danny, this is K'yara."

"Nice to meet you." Gloria smiled, extending a hand. K'yara hesitantly took it, still new to the concept of handshakes. Gloria turned to her brother. "Gerard will be over for dinner tomorrow, he's just finishing up some paperwork, you know the drill."

"I sure do." He laughed as they moved into the house, shutting the door behind them.

"Dad." Guy stopped. "I didn't know you were here."

"Well where else was I supposed to go after your Red Lanterns destroyed my house?"

Guy was still bristling and wished he could stop it, especially since K'yara was shooting a scrutinizing eye between them. "You're not drinking again are you?"

"No, I told you, and not even since you tried to kill me." The old man sighed.

"Don't start, you two." Gloria growled.

"I'm not!" Guy whined, setting Danny down, wondering how much the boy understood. He was only four or so, Guy was glad that Gloria had adopted him. In a way, Danny was like his first child, had been with him on the road for weeks before he accepted that he couldn't keep a kid around while he was doing Red Lantern responsibilities. It was a little hard to realize that it wasn't as long ago as he might have liked, wondered if Danny remembered anything of his biological parents or the rage entity he'd once hosted.

"K'yara, this is my father. Dad, I... This is my..." He paused drawing a sudden blank. They'd just discussed this but he couldn't call hir his mate to his dad. "Partner." He finished softly.

"Shi got one of those rings too?"

"Well... Yes but... Not like mine, I mean it's a power ring like mine but shi... Shi's one of the good guys."

K'yara was still side-eyeing them both, features carefully neutral but Guy could see the tension in hir shoulders, hir prickling mane, the flick of hir ears.

"But, I mean, shi's not a coworker, she's my, my..." He could feel sweat breaking out on his palms, suddenly keenly aware that he should have married hir by now and Roland was never going to take his excuses well. "We're going to have twins."

Roland was quiet for a long moment. "You're not planning to dump more kids on your sister to take care of, are you?"

"What? No, I..."

"Dad!" Gloria snapped.

Roland wiped his face. "So my grandchildren are going to be uh... Alien?"

"Dad, I'm part alien."

"Hnh, right. You talk to your mother recently?"

"No, I haven't heard from Peggy in... Too long." Guy sighed in defeat.

Roland exhaled sharply. "Well." He rubbed his face again. "You married yet?"

"N-no we haven't actually planned a ceremony yet."

"But soon." K'yara purred, taking Guy's hand.

Roland grumbled. "Well, congratulations." He got up from the recliner and stood with the help of his cane, taking the few shaky steps to close the distance before offering his free hand. "Well, you're a cute one, sweetheart. Not what I was expecting, there was this nice Norwegian girl..."

"Dad."

"What? I'm just trying to make conversation."

"It's an... Experience to meet you..." K'yara replied tensely, hir nervous grin showing just too much tooth, despite hir apparent shyness Guy was pretty sure that shi was agitated.

"Anyway, let me show you two to your room." Gloria intervened, shuffling them down the short hallway. "It's not much but it should be enough for the time being, how long were you planning to stay again?"

"Not too long, we have a home on Mogo." Guy reassured her.

Gloria cocked her head thoughtfully. "Maybe we'll come visit you next time."

Guy laughed. "Yeah, maybe. We do pretty regular supply runs and you'll be able to catch a ride."

He gave his sister a hug and was all too glad to close the door, leaning against it with a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry about that, I didn't know he'd be here."

"Well, family can be complicated." K'yara shrugged.

"Yeah..."

~

It was always nice to wake up with someone else nestled close. Even better when that person was also waking up and feeling affectionate. K'yara always first stirred with little sniffles, nuzzling up to him. When shi was feeling frisky, shi often started to lick or nibble at his skin before shi even opened hir eyes. 

Today shi stretched and settled over him bodily, spending a moment to doze upon his chest before returning to kissing his neck. He felt hir eyelashes flutter against his skin. Shi settled hir hips over his thigh and hir hand meandered down his belly. Shi had wiggled down to start mouthing at his nipple while hir hand lazily teased him to fullness.

He reached down to cup hir ass, and then tucked it under, letting his fingers find hir wetness as shi started to rut against his leg. Hir little whines were muffled at first, shi rubbed hir face against his chest hair, but hir whining started to rise in volume, a tense keening noise building underneath. As shi started to make little growling barks, shi shifted to move astride him, hir claws now clutched at his sides.

"G'morning." He smiled as shi finally looked at him directly.

With hir mouth slightly parted as shi puffed little panting breaths, shi didn't seem like words were something that shi was going to utilize. His own breath hitched as shi started to take him in.

"Oh, babe, you're so good to me." He moaned, flexing up as shi slowly pressed hir weight down.

Shi grinned, flashing sharp teeth as shi started to run hir hands and eyes over the broad expanse of his chest and belly. He loved the way shi seemed to treasure every detail of his body, that shi was still so enamored of him even after this long.

They both huffed as shi bottomed out and laughed, trading kisses with their smiles as shi slowly started to move. He liked that shi still tried to ride him even when shi started to lose coordination, shi always lost hirself to pleasure when they had sex, and he was glad that shi never held anything back. It was a wonder to him that shi could be so open, that shi trusted him so implicitly.

Shi was a little quieter while riding him by virtue of the fact that shi quickly started gasping for breath, somehow he doubted shi would appreciate the suggestion that shi work on cardio; especially not while shi was pregnant.

~ 

Breakfast was awkward, his sister and father giving him pointed glares while Danny babbled through the meal. K'yara seemed both embarrassed and smug, perhaps because shi was not receiving the same treatment. Gloria especially seemed to be overly friendly towards her soon to be in-law. K'yara didn't like talking about hirself much but spoke about the basics of hir condition matter of factually.

"Aside from Danny I don't think that I'll have any children." Gloria admitted. "Maybe I'll find someone, someday, but I'm pretty focused on my career. I think that Gerard has someone special but I don't know how serious it actually is."

K'yara nodded. "The last I heard from my family, my older brother had a partner like that, they were together but not really devoted. My little brother didn't really like courtship at all, he's worse at social graces than Guy... At least he was, but I don't have too much faith he's grown up all that much." Shi huffed. "It has been a pretty long time since I've seen any of them... I found my mother again shortly after joining the Indigo Tribe, I try to keep in contact but... I'm sure you can appreciate how difficult it is to maintain contact across galaxies."

"So what are the Indigo Tribe? We know the Green Lantern Corps pretty well and the Red Lanterns certainly left a pretty extreme impression on Earth, but I don't know too much about how all your different organizations operate." Gloria asked with interest.

K'yara ran hir fingers through hir mane. "We're... What you call humanitarian? Except obviously we're not human or really have much contact with humans outside the Green Lanterns... But um... We try to help people."

"Yeah, I've been thinking about how to incorporate more outreach into the Green Lantern Corps, I don't think that it's enough for us to be acting like cops or diplomats, we're really more like firefighters or EMTs." Guy explained.

"You're not about to go on one of your liberal rants are you?" Roland asked stiffly.

Guy sighed, leaning his head back. "No dad, I just wanted to explain that we're pretty busy rebuilding and trying to do more proactive work."

"I mostly do community outreach for my precinct now, I needed to transfer to a position a little less dodgy for Danny's sake."

"You're a desk jockey now then, huh?"

Gloria slugged her brother. "I get out a lot, actually, a lot of schools and job fairs. That sort of thing, thinking about getting involved more with the explorer's program."

"That's pretty cool. I miss teaching, sometimes." Guy sighed. "Gonna have my hands full with my own kids soon enough."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like it's important to note that they really haven't known each other for very long and are still firmly in the territory of NRE, infatuation. Punch drunk love as the saying goes.

**Author's Note:**

> *jazz hands*
> 
> I really have no idea what to say about this fic other than that I'm actually pretty proud of it and I enjoy it, and that's the important thing.
> 
> I hope that it is at least somewhat entertaining.


End file.
